Be there for me and I'll be there for you
by TruthAdvocate94
Summary: Eric/Natalia. Natalia is not coping with what happened to her at the hands of her now ex-husband. But thankfully for her, there is someone there who will try and protect her. However, when her ex gets out of prison and has his sights on her, will her new man be able to protect her, or will Natalia become another statistic? Season 4 (Pre-Skeletons).
1. Chapter 1

First Eric/Natalia story. This idea has been floating around in my head for a while now.

WARNING: This chapter has mentions of Domestic Abuse and violence. Discretion is advised.

 _The feeling of having your life in danger is something one should never have to experience; especially when the one threatening your life is the who is meant to love, cherish and respect you for the rest of your lives. But lately, the feeling had been happening almost every day. But this day when he left the house and slammed the door behind him, she felt more scared than usual. It crossed her mind that he could very well come right back in that door with god only knew what in his hand, or even use his own hand, to end her life. He had done it more than once; she had been pinned against the wall of their bedroom with his hand holding her up off the floor as the air left her lungs, the darkness of unconsciousness pulling her away from the hell she called her life. The few moments following her return to the world of the conscious made her worry; what would he do to me now? What would he use? Just his hands? It was too much. Today, the moment the door had slammed shut, she ran to the bedroom they shared, tore open her closet for the three packed suitcases hiding behind her hanging clothes. This was it; he wasn't going to hurt her anymore. She would not be his punching bag anymore. With shaking hands, she slung her shoulder bag over her right shoulder, clutching the handle of one of the suitcases with a shaking left hand. She cast a look around the room that was meant to be the room of safety but instead turned into her torture cell. She let go of the bag, reached down to unplug her cellphone charger and as she did, she turned around and could almost sob. He was standing there; right behind her._

 _"_ _Where do you think you're going?" He asked, his voice cautiously soft as he shoved the bags away and reached for her hand. Almost as if it were on fire, she snatched her hand away and reached again for her bag. However, he was too fast for her as he grabbed her left arm, yanking her close to him. The force of the grab made her cry out in shock. "When a man asks his wife a question, she is meant to answer him." He gave her a shake, causing her to cry out._

 _"_ _I'm leaving you!" She cried out, feeling her vision begin to swim with tears. No more would she allow him to hurt her. She had to leave, and she had to do it now. The look in his eyes was one she knew would burn right into her soul for the rest of her life._

 _"_ _I don't think so!" He yelled at her, almost right in her face as she used his free hand to hit her hard across the left cheek. The sting of the impact made her eyes swim, but she made no noise. She would not give him that satisfaction. He dragged her by the arm he had hold of, towards the staircase leading to the ground floor. Reaching the top of it, she felt her heart in her chest. This was something she always feared. "We agreed, until death do us part." She tried to fight out of his grip, but it only tightened. She couldn't help it; the pain was too much. She cried out as she felt something in her arm snap. Biting her lip to stop herself from screaming, she tried to focus her eyes on his; trying and failing to read what was going through his mind. But then she saw it; he wanted to kill her. Another hit to the cheek and a hard shove and she lost her footing. Down she rolled; down the stairs like a ragdoll. She felt each hit from the oak steps but before she could reach the bottom –_

"No!" She sat up, her eyes not able to focus on the dark room around her. She felt sweat coat her skin as she reached over to the bedside table and pressed her lamp on. For the past three weeks, the same nightmare had been causing Natalia Boa Vista to lose what little sleep she could get. A soft moan from beside her caused the young Fed to almost jump out of her skin but then she remembered who was sharing her bed; the co-worker she had been drawn to the moment she saw him.


	2. Chapter 2

_Timeline elaboration: Set around 4x07. Very early days for both Natalia at the lab. In my eyes, Eric and Natalia started dating around 4x03 but were sleeping together since the very beginning of the season, so they have been together 'officially' for roughly a month. I am going to write their first meeting and their first time together, but I just want to show that Eric and Natalia had a relationship that was deeper than just sleeping together. This is what I would have liked to see on the show._

Eric Delko, in her opinion, was the definition of a great catch. Good looking, great in bed but also, he was beginning to show a softer, caring side to his normal 'tough guy' image he portrayed at work. This was their third time they had shared a bed together that did not just involve the two of them tearing each other's clothes off. On this night, Eric had arrived at her place with a bottle of red wine, a tub of ben and jerry's and open arms. A case they were working, a young woman who was murdered by a man who despised their boss Horatio Caine, was eating at her more than she was letting on. Also, she had been asked by Monica West of the DA's office to be their 'mole', given the unenviable role of gathering evidence and information to determine whether or not the Miami-Dade Crime Lab was in fact, dirty. With a heavy sigh, Natalia reached for her blue silk robe that was sitting on the edge of her bed, wrapped it around herself and walked out to her living room, using her hand to feel along her counter in the dark for a glass that she had left on the sink earlier. Cursing softly, she felt her way around to the cabinet. Eric had been a little too helpful with putting her dishes away. With her arm acting up, a common occurrence after her attack by Nick, the last thing she felt like doing was reaching above her head to reach for a glass. Praying silently that laying with her arm under her pillow for too long didn't aggravate it further, she got on her toes and reached up to the second shelf. As she felt her fingers wrap around the glass, a sharp stabbing pain ran through her wrist and up to her elbow, causing her to lose her grip on the glass and her footing. The pain sent Natalia from her feet and landing heavily on her tiled kitchen floor, her head hitting the cupboard behind her.

"Eric!" She cried, using her other hand to hold her head. The tears in her eyes were causing her to lose focus and her vision began to swim. She just hoped that she hadn't done any damage to herself when she fell. _She did hit her head hard…_

"Nat?!" Eric called out, his footsteps almost thundering down the hall as he headed towards the darkened kitchen. "Nat, where are you, baby?" He tried again, stopping in the darkened kitchen.

"Down here…" Her words were soft, her voice wobbling. Eric silently walked around the counter, thankful for his ability to see in the dark rather well and he saw her. Well, saw her shadowed outline at least. She was leaning against the cabinet behind her, her left arm cradled in her lap and her right holding the back of her head. He knelt in front of her, running a soft hand down her shoulder and stopping at her elbow. "My arm… something happened to my arm." She felt more tears build up behind her brown eyes and she did nothing to stop them from falling. "I had… I had the nightmare again." Her tears were flowing freely now, her right hand now holding her forehead as her sobs became heavier. "It… it felt so real!" She cried out, the back of her head once again hitting the cabinet. "Damn it!" She cussed. Eric was at a loss. Never, since meeting the Brunette three months earlier, had he seen her like this. He knew Natalia Boa Vista did not wear her heart on her sleeve, but she was very emotional when the time came. And now, he realized as he sat next to her on the cold tiled floor and allowed her to rest her head on his shoulder, he would do anything he could to stop the woman he found himself thinking about often, getting hurt again. Wordlessly, Eric wrapped an arm around Natalia's middle and helped her to stand, using his free hand to lead her towards the couch in her living room, where he was thankful that a warm black throw rug was placed on the back of it. Sitting Natalia down, he returned to the kitchen for the icepack he knew she kept on the second shelf of her freezer and wrapped it in a tea-towel, returning to the couch and sitting next to her. Looking into her eyes and without a word, he rested the pack on her arm and repositioned himself, so she was laying against him, her head resting on his shoulder as his free hand rubbed soft circles on her back. This is where they stayed, for lord only knew how long. All that could be heard were Natalia's soft sobs and Eric's soft words of reassurance until the brunette Latina eventually drifted off to sleep, the strong arms of the Cuban man lying next to her being the only thing she knew would keep her safe.

 _ ****_ _ **THE NEXT MORNING...**_

The light seeping in through the roman blinds caused the Cuban to stir first later in the morning. Eric rubbed his hand over his eyes and went to stretch, not realizing that there was a warm weight pressed against him. He looked down, smiling. Natalia had her resting on his abdomen, her face relaxed and the sun causing her tanned skin to look more sun-kissed than usual. With a soft kiss to her nose, the DNA analyst stirred, her eyes fluttering open.

"Good morning." Eric whispered, running his fingers through Natalia's hair. A soft smile was the only response he needed. "How do you feel?" he asked, pulling the black blanket over the two of them. Natalia sighed as she moved to sit up, giving a simple shrug.

"I can't…" She sighed again, running a hand through her hair. "It doesn't happen every night. It just comes on every now and then. I think it's…" Natalia stood, pacing the length of her living room. Eric sat back on the couch, taking a moment to bask in this woman's natural beauty. He knew the other members of his team were used to seeing their newest team member with her hair done nicely, dressed elegantly. But this Natalia; no makeup, hair curled naturally, tanned skin on show. He knew that she was a natural beauty. Standing, he stood behind her as she paced back towards him. As she did so, he opened his arms out in front of her, silently inviting her for an embrace. Giving a small smile, she ceased her pacing and allowed herself to be wrapped up in Eric's strong arms. As soon as she rested her head on his chest, she closed her eyes and felt her shoulders begin to shake. She sobbed quietly, Eric resting his index finger and thumb on her chin to tilt her head up to face him.

"Didn't we agree…" He kissed her forehead. "Didn't we agree to not keep things to ourselves when there was something eating away?" He kissed her again, tasting the saltiness of his girlfriend's tears on his own lips. No one deserved to go through what she was.

Natalia sighed heavily, wiping her eyes with the back of her hand. "I know, I just…" She found herself lost for words as she felt a breeze blow past the back of her legs. "I can't stop re-living it…" She rubbed her arm, unconsciously tracing over the still sore bones in it. "I still feel like he's going to get out and find me… I don't want him to. I can't." She felt her chest begin to tighten at the possibility, and Eric felt her muscles tense underneath him. She looked at him; her glistening brown orbs screaming at him for help.

"Natalia…" He moved them back to her couch and sat next to her, taking both of her hands in his. "I need you to look at me," He waited as Natalia's eyes once again met with his. "I need you to keep looking at me and copy me with my breathing." He coached softly. After he witnessed a panic attack, he made it his mission to know how to keep her as calm as possible if he were to witness another one. Eric just didn't count on him witnessing one so soon. He willed himself to breathe in slowly, keeping eye contact on Natalia as he felt try her hardest to breathe in the same pattern as him. "That's it…" He could feel the grip Natalia had on his hands loosen as she calmed internally. "Keep breathing…" She willed herself the best she could to keep her breathing as even and calm as Eric's and after a few minutes, she had succeeded. Eric leaned in closer to her, their foreheads touching slightly.

"Thankyou." She breathed, nuzzling his nose with hers. Eric smiled, kissing her softly on the lips before getting to his feet. Natalia stood as well, shocked by his rapid movement. "Wait… where are you going?" she asked, straightening her shirt. Eric turned towards their bedroom and grinned but said nothing. When she heard the door close, Natalia smiled to herself and shook her head, turning towards the kettle and flicking it on. As she reached for two mugs, she felt her heart begin to drop to her shoes. She felt horrible about what she was doing to the lab, to herself, to Eric… but if no one found out she would be ok. Right?


	3. Chapter 3

_1) I am SO sorry for not updating sooner; I have been off work with Bursitis in my left shoulder so typing has not been easy until now. Gotta love painkillers._

 _2) This is set between 4X08 and 4x09 and I wanted to see the two of them more as a couple as less as what we saw on the show with just flirtation and implied relationship._

 _3) I also wanted to explore Natalia's relationship with her sisters. Christine was mentioned in 5x08 and Anya, of course, but again I just wanted to see moments of them together as a family._

 _4) The rest of the team will make an appearance soon, but this is PRIMARILY an Eric/Natalia FF._

 _5) And Oh Yes, that infamous test in 4x15 will EVENTUALLY be discussed. Will the results be the same as the show?_

 _6) I do not own Sutton Boa-Vista; she is a character that came to me while I was listening to the Anything Goes soundtrack. Hence the name._

 _7) Fluff. This chapter is fluff and sister bonding. Back to more CSI'ish stuff next chapter._

 _ENJOY!_

Natalia found herself staring at the chrome purple of her kettle, her ears pricking at the sound of the shower running. Figuring she had a few minutes, she grabbed her phone from its place on the counter and flipped it open; grimacing at the message.

 _I need to know what is going on in this lab. Surely there has to be something. Monica._ With an annoyed grunt, she hit 'delete' and almost threw the device back on the counter. She absolutely hated what she was doing, but she knew that she had to be the one to do it. She just wished she was able to tell _someone_ about how she felt! BANG! A car door slammed from the front of her house, causing her heart to rise into her chest and her hand to rest on her chest, feeling her heart rise back up in her chest for the third time in less than 24 hours. Closing her eyes, Natalia clenched her lips together and rested her hands on the counter in front of her, trying her best to keep her breathing even and slowly count down from 100 silently. This exercise had helped her when she was first released from the hospital prior to Nick's trial and she just hoped that it would work this time. Managing to count to 56 before she calmed again, she didn't even notice that Eric had exited the bathroom with a towel around his waist and a frown on his face. Natalia... sweet, innocent Natalia just could not catch a break. While he did not know the full extent of what had happened between Natalia and her now incarcerated ex-husband, he knew that it was bad. No, worse than bad; it was hell.

"Nat?" He called softly, taking a few steps before joining her at the counter. Natalia's head snapped up, glassy and unfocused eyes looking back at him. Eric sighed; she had had another anxiety attack. "Hey..." He pulled her close to him, his still damp hands clasping together on the younger woman's lower back. "Do you want to talk about it?" He asked, looking down at her and kissing her on the forehead. Silence answered him; something Eric was more than used to. "You don't have to now if you don't want to." Natalia smiled softly, her eyes becoming more focused as she gave Eric a soft peck on the lips.

"I will... but not today. Today, we have a day of celebrating." She said with a soft smile. Eric raised an eyebrow, pondering what the occasion was. And then he spied the large pink present wrapped and sitting by Natalia's front door. Today was her niece Sutton's second birthday, and this would be the first time she would be introducing Eric to her family as more than a co-worker.

"Ah yes." He winked, releasing his embrace slightly as he looked at her again. With a soft kiss on the tip of her nose, he felt the Latina relax significantly. "We are going to be OK." Natalia smiled softly and nodded, pulling herself close to him and resting her head back on his chest. Maybe, just maybe... things would be OK. If only for a little while.

 **FIVE HOURS LATER**

"Sutton Grace Boa-Vista, if I have to tell you one more time about getting cake mix out of the bowl while its being mixed you will be in big trouble!" Natalia's middle sister Christine threatened, an index finger pointed at the brunette little girl perched on the counter with her hand half in the mixing bowl, her aunt holding her up by her middle and a not-so-innocent smile on Natalia's face as she lowered her on the ground and ruffled her dark brown locks. "Go and play for a while, sweetheart. I will call you when the cake is ready." Christine kissed the toddler on the head and watched as she ran back outside towards the swing set sitting proudly in the middle of the yard. She sauntered over to her sister, poking her in the ribs as she copied the very action Sutton had just done; using her index finger to swipe icing off of the interior of the mixing bowl. "Good God, you're just as bad as Sutton is!" She said with a laugh, moving the bowl out of the way and heading to the fridge, passing Natalia a can of Lemonade and settling her can of Cola on the counter. As she cracked it open, she found herself looking outside again. Sutton was on the swing, laughing happily as Eric pushed her on it. "So..." She gave her another poke in the ribs, causing Natalia to choke on her drink. "Just putting it out there, he is HOT!"

"Well, I already know this." Natalia winked. Her expression turned serious again. "I just... I don't want history to repeat itself." She leaned on the counter, fiddling with the ring of her Soda can. The youngest of the girls, Anya, walked inside; carrying a tray of sandwiches.

"Well, these were a hit I'm just going to..." She noticed her sister's expressions and set down the plates. "What's up?"She asked, her attention now on her oldest sister. "What's up, Nat?"

Natalia sighed heavily, resting her head in her hands. "I just... My head is all over the place and I'm just... I'm just scared." She admitted, biting down on her lip as she felt the tears begin to resurface. She shook her head angrily. "I'm sorry, Chris..." With a heavy sigh, Natalia wiped her eyes and breathed in, trying her best to maintain her composure.

"Sweetie..." Christine breathed. She cast a look to Anya and the two women opened their arms, Natalia pulling them both close to her as she embraced her sisters. "Just remember... We are always here for you. Because we are your sisters and we love you so much." Being 5 foot 3 as opposed to Natalia's 5 foot 9, she found herself looking up as she smiled at her sister. "And as long as you bring him back," She nodded towards the backyard, smiling as Eric stood next to Christine's husband John at the Barbecue; a can of soft drink in one hand and a spatula in the other. "We know you will be ok." With an approving nod, she nudged Natalia in the side. "He is good for you." Almost on cue, the timer for the oven sounded. "Ugh, finally! Now we can ice these cupcakes." As both Christine and Anya focused on the oven, Natalia set her can on the counter and walked outside, on a determined path. Walking right up to Eric, she smiled brightly at him.

"Hey what's-" He was cut off by Natalia getting on her toes and giving Eric a soft yet meaningful kiss on the lips. If there wasn't a backyard full of screaming kids aged between 2 and 6 she would have kissed him more passionately but she she knew that would tie them over until later on. "What was that for?" He asked when they broke away, giving her another kiss this time on the forehead.

Natalia shrugged and smiled, walking back towards the kitchen. "For just being you."


	4. Chapter 4

_The next three chapters are rather loving - split into three parts._

 _Part 1 - When Eric and Natalia meet and their first kiss_

 _Part 2 - Their first time (Rated M Obviously)_

 _Part 3 - Eric being there for her after 4x09_

 **Flashbacks in Bold and Italic.**

 **Part 1 - I need a hero.**

When Sutton had finally fallen asleep that night after her party, Natalia found herself still sitting on Christine's couch, nursing a much-needed glass of wine. Christine sat next to her, Anya sitting on the floor in front of Natalia's feet, both girls also nursing a glass of wine. Outside, Eric, Christine's husband John and Anya's boyfriend Matthew were sitting around the glass table with the three of them drinking beer and playing poker. Both Christine and John had agreed that the girls needed time together and he wanted to get to know both Eric and Matt, so he had arranged for them to have beers and poker while girls had wine and just talked. Anya was the first one to ask a question that both girls had been dying to know since Natalia had announced to them that she had been dating again.

"So," Anya looked up at her oldest sister, a twinkle in her eyes and a sneaky smile on her face. "This is something that I've been wanting to ask for a while. How did you two meet?" She asked, gesturing to Eric as he put two cards down on the table outside.

Natalia followed Anya's gaze outside, a dreamy smile ghosting her features. "Well... I think you can guess." She winked as she took a long drink from her glass. Both sisters shaking their heads in unison caused her to roll her eyes as she set the glass down on the table. "Eugh… ok. But don't judge me for this."

 ** _9 weeks earlier - Sobe Nightlife Miami Beach 2005_**

 ** _Natalia weaved her way through the small crowd forming at the bar, clutching her bag closer to her as she leaned into the bar when the young man behind her waved her over._**

 ** _"Here on your own, beautiful?" He winked. Natalia rolled her eyes, causing his smile to drop slightly. "What can I get for you?" He asked, his smile forming again._**

 ** _"I'll take a vodka sunrise, please." She smiled, reaching into her bag for a $20-dollar bill. But as she went to hand it to the bartender, a slightly darker and larger hand reached in front of her with a $50 and handed it to the tender._**

 ** _"I've got this one." The voice said, giving the tender a thumb up and looking to Natalia. As Natalia accepted her drink and her eyes widened at the mystery man. He was 6 feet, she guessed in the light. His tanned skin, a similar shade of her own almost shimmered in the lights that were just starting to dim. His jeans and short sleeved white shirt clung to all the right places and Natalia found herself squirming at his glance. He was studying her, it seemed. Trying to read her._**

 ** _"Thanks," She smiled as the mystery man picked up his drink from the bar. "Not very often you meet a man nice enough to pay for a drink for a stranger." The man smiled, causing Natalia's heart to skip a beat or three._** **"That is one of the best smiles I've seen on a man in a long time!"**

 ** _"I'm Eric," Eric reached his hand forward, wanting suddenly to feel more than just the soft skin of her palm against him. "Eric Delko." Natalia smiled, returning the gesture and taking his hand in hers. As she did, she felt a surge of something pulsate through her. Something that she had not felt in over 7 years since she and Nick got together!_**

 ** _"Natalia Boa Vista." She found her smile remaining in place, being unable to draw herself from this incredibly handsome stranger. And she wasn't the only one who couldn't keep her eyes off. Eric found himself almost caught in a trance at the beauty of the Latina woman standing before him. Her royal blue, knee length cocktail dress clung to every part that would drive him wild, the sweetheart doing everything right her cleavage. There was enough there for Eric to appreciate, but not so much that it sent the wrong message._**

 ** _"It_** ' ** _s a pleasure to meet you, Natalia." He smiled, following it up with a wink._** **_Natalia found herself giggling; something she again hadn't done for the longest time. What was this man doing to her?!_**

 ** _"Want to get a table?" Natalia asked, suddenly dumbfounded at the request she had made. She was meant to be out here for herself and celebrating, not hitting on the first guy who bought her a drink. But, not everyone in the place looked the way Eric did. And he certainly did not cause her to react the way she was now. Eric nodded and smiled, very much intrigued by this woman who had caught his eye when she first walked in. People around them were slowly filing out to the dancefloor as the music began to get louder, but it was at the volume that a conversation could still be had without people yelling at one another. The two snuck to a table just by a window, Eric standing to the side of her as she slid onto the seat. She turned to him and smiled, slightly touched by the simple gesture._**

 ** _"So," Eric started, sliding onto his seat and clasping his hands around the beer bottle. He didn't think that he would even get a hello from this woman, let alone be sitting across from her! "Tell me about yourself."_**

 ** _Natalia smiled as she took a sip of her drink, which seemed to be calming her down a lot easier than she thought it would. "Ok. Um... I am 33, just moved here from Washington and I work for the FBI." As she told Eric this, she swore she saw his face droop slightly. "What's up?" She asked, taking another sip of her drink and setting it on the table. "Why don't you tell me about yourself?" She asked, hoping to bring back a smile to the face she couldn't stop herself from staring at._**

 ** _Eric smiled, waving his hand at the question. "Nothing just had a thought. Never mind. Ok..." Eric took a mouthful of his drink, his throat suddenly dry as he caught a glimpse of her cleavage. He cleared his throat, setting the drink on the table. "I'm the youngest of four, my older siblings three girls, I am a qualified scuba instructor and I also work for the Miami-Dade Police Department. I work in Fingerprints and Underwater Recovery." Natalia pursed her lips, realising Eric's falling smile moments ago. She was a Fed, he was a CSI. If they got further than drinks, which she secretly hoped they would, it could be big trouble for both. But, taking another sip of her drink, she felt her confidence surge._**

 ** _"Ok, so... we are technically work enemies. Depending on how you look at it. But right now, I don't feel like being Agent Boa-Vista..." She smiled widely at Eric and winked. "I feel like being Natalia Boa Vista; single woman who is out on the town to have a good time." She raised an eyebrow, clearly reading into Eric's cat-got-the-canary smile. Returning the wink, Eric found his leg wrapping around Natalia's, running the side of his foot along her leg._**

 ** _"And who do you want me to be?" He asked with a wink. As she felt Eric's foot run up and down her leg she felt goose bumps begin to form on her skin and her heart went into her throat. But she swallowed it back down and allowed herself to relax._**

 ** _"I want you to be the man that can help me let my hair down and relax for the first time in 5 months," She finished her drink with a large swig and stood up from the table, catching Eric off guard. "I'll be right back." She winked at him before turning away from him, making her way towards the bathroom. "Meet me in the Beer Garden! I want to talk more!" She called as she weaved through the crowd to head towards the lady's room. As she neared the door, she felt a hand grab her arm. She snapped her head towards the mystery grabber and her heart dropped. The face staring back at her was Nick. The same eyes, cheekbones, everything. How did he find her?!_**

 ** _"_** ** _Come on out here with me baby… come and dance with me." He pulled her close to him, almost sinking his teeth into her neck. A million thoughts ran through her head, and none of them good. She did the one thing she could think of; she screamed at the top of her lungs._**

 ** _Unbeknownst to her, Eric walked back towards the bar and leaned in. "Can I get another Vodka Sunrise and a Bourbon No Ice." He turned away from the bar, casting his eyes around the suddenly crowded club. He saw Natalia weave through the crowd, disappearing behind a stone pillar. A hand on Eric's arm caught him off guard. Looking back at him with wide eyes was his oldest sister, Marisol. The last place he thought his sister would be was at a club; she had been feeling unwell for two weeks and the last time he saw her she was hugging a bucket with a washcloth on her forehead._**

 ** _"_** ** _Mari?" He asked, giving her a quick hug. "What are you doing here?"_**

 ** _"_** ** _I'm here for Mariah's bachelorette party. What are you doing here?" She asked. The scream drew both Delko's attention towards the wall by the lady's room it being loud enough to be clearly heard over the music. Marisol heading towards the scream, turning back to Eric. "I'll go help her. Get him thrown out of here!" She was quick to run from her brother, not realising that she was in fact going to save his brother's crush._**

 ** _"_** ** _Get away from me!" Natalia screamed. On instinct, she grabbed his left shoulder and brought her knee to his crotch, delivering a hard blow. When she opened her eyes, her vision swam. It wasn't Nick at all, it was a man who in fact looked nothing like Nick. 'This must be what a flashback feels like' she thought. "I am so sorry…" She repeated to herself as she backed away from the man and the small crowd forming around them. Natalia almost ran into the bathroom, leaning on the sink in front of her as she found herself unable to catch her breath. Her heart was up in her throat, her legs were losing their strength and if she didn't stop herself, she was most likely going to pass out very soon._**

 ** _"_** ** _Sweetie?" A voice called from beside her. A soft hand on her hip guided her to an open stall and she was sat down on the closed lid. "Can you hear me?" Natalia had no idea who this voice belonged to, but she just wanted them to keep talking to her. "Can you tell me your name?" The voice called again, placing damp paper-towel on the back of Natalia's neck to calm her. Natalia sighed in relief, the cool water working its magic very quickly._**

 ** _"_** ** _Natalia… my name's Natalia." She found her words, but they were wobbly as she felt her eyes begin to swim. 'On the ONE night I decide to come out and have some fun something has to happen to screw it up. Damn you, Nick!'_**

 ** _"_** ** _Hi, Natalia," The figure knelt in front of her, taking both of her hands in hers. "My name is Marisol." The oldest Delko was taken aback by the woman. Her eyes were glassed over, and she was shaking. It was clear that she was coming down from a panic attack, and the last thing she wanted was for her to be going home alone. "Are you here with anyone?" She asked._**

 ** _"_** ** _Marisol!" A drunk voice called from the door. "Are you OK?"_**

 ** _"_** ** _Mariah, can you get me some water? My friend isn't feeling well." Her voice was all business. "And tell Eric where I am." The door closed, Natalia's ears pricking up at the name._**

 ** _"_** ** _Eric?" She asked, wiping her eyes with the back of her hand._**

 ** _Marisol smiled widely. "Eric Delko, my baby brother. Always doing what he can to keep people safe." She noticed the look on the older woman's face. "You know him?" She asked, handing her some dry paper towel. Natalia accepted it, dabbing her eyes._**

 ** _"_** ** _Yeah, um…" She sniffled. "He brought me a drink, actually. I wanted to talk to him more outside, but I had to pee first and when I was on my way, I got grabbed by a guy. I just… I reacted." She felt her eyes water again, but she angrily swatted the tears away. Before either woman could respond, the door to the bathroom opened and a familiar hand appeared over Marisol's shoulder, passing her a bottle of water._**

 ** _"_** ** _Are you OK?" he asked, not moving from his place behind his sister. He smiled to himself, realizing the irony of this situation. He wanted Natalia to meet his sister at something like a BBQ or a dinner, not keeping her calm in the bathroom of a club when they just met!_**

 ** _"_** ** _I'm ok now…" She smiled softly, despite the situation. "Your sister is being very helpful." Eric laughed a little, standing now next to her rather than behind her. She kept her attention on the older Delko, feeling very thankful that both were there for her._**

 ** _"_** ** _Will you be ok?" Marisol asked, keeping a tight grip on her hand. Natalia closed her eyes and nodded, giving her hand another squeeze. "I think you're in good hands with him." As she stood, she gave Eric a nudge. "Just remember where you are, little bro." She winked before she left. Natalia looked up at Eric, her chocolate eyes still glistening._**

 ** _"_** ** _How about we get out of here?" He asked, offering his hand to her. Natalia accepted it, standing slowly. Eric pulled her close to him, wrapping both of his arms around her and letting her head rest on his chest. Even if it was a brief hug, he knew that she needed the comfort. Releasing her, he kept his hand around her waist resting just below the hip and the two walked out, Natalia immediately bombarded by the music and flashing lights. As they headed towards the exit, a tap on Natalia's shoulder pulled them back. It was Marisol again, clutching Natalia's bag in her hand._**

 ** _"_** ** _Here! You forgot this." She handed the bag to her, a smile still on her face as she studied her little brother. 'Yep, he has it bad for this one.' "I hope you get home OK. And it was good to meet you, despite the situation. See you soon, baby brother!" Marisol turned back to her group of friends and cheered, clearly swinging back into party mode. As the two headed outside, Natalia was casting her eyes around._**

 ** _"_** ** _Did you drive?" Eric asked, pulling her closer to him as he felt her begin to shiver in the cool breeze._**

 ** _"_** ** _Yeah, I just need to get my keys…" She fished in her bag, pulling out her keys and unlocking the silver Ford Focus parked four spaces away from them. Natalia looked at Eric and smiled tiredly. "Eric… I am so sorry this didn't turn out how you wanted it to." Eric smiled and shook his head._**

 ** _"_** ** _I'm just happy that I got to meet you at all." He kept hold of her hand. Natalia looked into his eyes, his own eyes almost drinking her in. Unable to restrain herself, Natalia took hold of Eric's shirt and pulled her close to him. Her right hand rested on his cheek and before could think, she felt their lips meeting in a surprised but soft kiss. She felt Eric tense up at the first moment but after a second, she felt him relax into her. Natalia moaned softly into the kiss, pulling herself impossibly closer to him as she felt his tongue silently ask to explore her, which she happily agreed to. But before it got to out of hand, Eric pulled himself away, kissing her again softly and resting his forehead._**

 ** _"_** ** _I want to see you again. I don't want to forget you." He sighed, kissing her once more. Natalia almost sobbed. This man, who she hardly knew, had helped her through an anxiety attack as well as his sister. And now, here she was standing in front of her car kissing him like there was no tomorrow. This was not like her, what was Eric doing to her? And why could she suddenly not get enough of him?!_**

 ** _"_** ** _Come with me?" She almost begged, her hand once again resting on his cheek. "Stay with me, tonight." She felt her eyes grow large, the heat between them almost too much. She took Eric's chin in her index finger and thumb and pulled him back to her, craving him like a cold drink on a summer's afternoon. Eric felt torn. Nothing in him more wanted to take Natalia home and do everything and anything to her, but after seeing her in the stall with Marisol, he didn't want to hurt her._**

 ** _"_** ** _I don't…" He pulled away from the kiss, his hand running down the side of her cheek. "I don't want to hurt you. I saw you before, I just-" Natalia's lips, the same softness as satin, silenced him. He could get used to that!_**

 ** _"_** ** _You won't hurt me… I promise you. I will be OK as long as I'm with you." She looked up into his eyes, seeing the same lust burning deep in his brown orbs that she knew were burning in hers. "I promise you that I will be ok." With another kiss, she felt Eric relax into her._**

 ** _"_** ** _Promise me," He kissed her again. "If you need me to stop," another kiss. "Tell me and I will stop." Natalia sighed, feeling her knees buckle at the sensation. She could not remember the last time she had been this turned on, let alone this safe with a man she just met._**

 ** _"_** ** _I promise I will tell you," She moaned. "But not in public." She pulled herself away, taking another chance to look Eric in the eyes. A silent 'are you sure?' passed through Eric's eyes and, not missing the silent question, she nodded. "I'll drive." She winked, her keys still wrapped around her finger as they climbed in. Tonight was certainly going to be a night that she wouldn't forget._**

"And I think we need another glass of wine!" Anya was the first to stand up, heading to the kitchen to re-fill the three glasses she balanced in her hand. Christine laughed, facing her sister again.

"You're not going to leave me hanging there, are you?!" She demanded. "What was it like?" On cue, they both heard a small voice call out,

"Mommy!" Sutton toddled out of her room, clutching her blue blanket and rubbing her eyes. Natalia regarded her niece with a small smile and walked over to her. "Aunt Nat!" The toddler forgot her nightmare temporarily and she happily threw her arms around her aunt, clinging to her like a lifeline. At this point, Eric walked inside and stopped when he closed the door. He had never seen Natalia interact with a child and the sight made his heart swell a little more. Natalia looked over to the door, hearing it close. She looked at Eric, smiled and winked at him.

"Who's winning?" She asked, swaying Sutton softly from side-to-side as she heard her yawn softly.

"John. He's kicking our butts. I'm just getting another drink," He rested his hand on her lower back. "How are you guys going in here?" He asked, kissing her on the temple. Natalia smiled at the contact and leaned into him slightly.

"Just some girl talk." She winked. "Go back out there, I'm fine in here." She reassured. Eric smiled again and kissed her softly on the lips.

"I know…" He smiled. "I just wanted to give you a kiss and hug." With that he turned around and walked back outside, Natalia feeling her heart in her throat and tears of happiness in her eyes.

"Here…" Christine took Sutton from her and smiled, feeling her daughter snuggle close to her. "I'll tuck her back in and then we can continue this story." With a wink she walked away, leaving Natalia standing by the couch with a smile on her face and her heart in a flutter at how much her life had changed for the better in the last nine weeks, and all because of one Cuban Man.

 _Next chapter will be the ever anticipated love scene. Thankyou my loyal readers and followers for sticking by me._


	5. Chapter 5

_Warning: This is the chapter. The chapter that has Eric and Natalia's first time together. So, discretion is advised. But let's be honest; that's why you are here._

"So…" Christine grinned, sitting back down next to Natalia when she walked back inside. "Where were we?" She smiled as Anya returned to the living room, somehow managing to balance the three glasses of wine in her hands as she sat on the recliner across from her sisters and put the drinks on the coffee table.

"We were talking about the first time Eric and Natalia decided to go inflangrante delecto!" Anya winked. Natalia, mid-way through a sip of wine, coughed a little. "What?" She asked innocently.

"That is definitely not the way I would like my sex life described!" Natalia sputtered, resting the back of her hand against her mouth as she felt her throat burn from the wine. "If anyone is to describe it, that would be me, and it won't be done using words like that." She sighed heavily, leaning back on the couch with a sigh. "Since when did _my_ sex life become the hot topic?"

Christine leaned forward, reaching for her glass. "Because mine is non-existent and Anya's is boring. We know yours is fun so we have decided to live vicariously through yours." She explained in a simple tone as she swished her drink. "So," She waved a hand. "Tell us. What was it like?" She looked over to her sister and smiled. For the first time in a long time, she could see that Natalia was well and truly relaxed, not just putting on a show for her family. Her eyes were looking towards Eric and the boys sitting outside, and she saw the smile return to her face.

"In a word? Mind blowing."

 ** _The tension between Eric and Natalia in the car was so think you could cut through it with a knife. As they got closer to Natalia's place, Eric's hand ghosted over hers and rested on her thigh, causing her to look at him. She smiled first, Eric squeezing her hand softly before raising it to his lips and kissing it softly. She smiled as she turned into her driveway, cutting the ignition with a shaking hand. As she got out of the car, she closed the door behind her and before she could count to ten, she felt a hand on her hip. The contact caught her off guard, making her jump._**

 ** _"_** ** _I am so sorry," Eric breathed. Natalia relaxed, the breath on her neck causing her to calm down more than any breathing activity. "Is this ok?" He asked. Giving a silent nod, she grabbed Eric's shirt, like at the bar, and pulled her close to him and kissed him like her life depended on it. He happily returned the kiss, resting his hands on her lower back and keeping her close to him. Dancing a silent dance, Eric carefully pushed Natalia up against her front porch wall, using one hand to hold her at the hip and the other to take a gentle hold of her neck, his lips beginning to leave a trail down her chin and towards her chest. With a heavy sigh, Natalia found herself running shaking hands through his short hair, trying to lift his head back up towards her. Almost forcefully, she pulled his face close to hers and kissed him, her tongue demanding an entrance into his mouth. He readily accepted, stopping only to let her unlock her front door. The last thing he wanted was to have her arrested for indecent exposure. The door unlocked, Natalia walked in slowly with Eric close behind. As soon as the solid oak door closed, he pushed her up against it, his hands resting on her hips as Natalia's smaller hands wrestled to unbutton his shirt. Getting impatient, she gripped it in both hands and gave it a rip, buttons scattering over her floor. With a small giggle, she felt Eric's hands wrap around her knees and under her arms, scooping her up as if she were a small child._**

 ** _"_** ** _You're going to have to direct me here!" Eric laughed, kissing her again as they reached the end of the hallway. Natalia, from her position in Eric's arms, was able to nudge her bedroom door open with her foot. She shimmied her way out of Eric's embrace, pulling him close to her once again as they resumed the battle of the kiss. Pulling away, Eric took the time to once more look into Natalia's. The orbs, the same shade as chocolate, were darkened now by lust and desire, but still danced in passion and fear. With almost shaking hands, Eric rested his hands on her shoulders and turned her around, so she was facing away from him. Raising one hand, he slowly lowered the zip of her dress and pulled it down her back, allowing it to pool at her feet before turning her around to face him. What he saw made his jaw hit the floor. He knew from the dress that Natalia had a stunning figure but, seeing her now in her most vulnerable state, he found himself drawn to her even more so. Her skin shone in the moonlight through the blinds of her bedroom, but that's not what caught his eye. Littering her back and chest were small scars, the bumps felt under his skin as he trailed his fingers down her back. He felt her tense up at the feeling, her head bowing down and tears pricking in her eyes. "What happened?" He asked, kissing her temple as he pulled her towards him. Natalia's eyes closed, head bowed almost in shame. "Who did this to you?" he asked. With an almost inaudible sigh, she turned away from Eric and sat on the comforter, suddenly feeling cold and very vulnerable._**

 ** _"_** ** _Um…" She ran a shaking hand through her hair and found herself unable to look at Eric. "My ex-husband…" The sentence didn't even need to be finished. No wonder she had reacted the way she did to the guy at the club. She had been through hell at the hands of someone who was meant to love her, and he found himself hating a man he had never met for hurting a woman he had just met but found himself unable to get enough of._**

 ** _"_** ** _Where is he now?" He asked, the mood changing from lustful sexiness to caring tenderness. When Natalia didn't answer, he rested his thumb and index finger under her chin, much like what she had done to him outside the club._**

 ** _"_** ** _He's in jail, where he belongs. He pushed me down the stairs and broke my arm so… he's serving a rather long sentence. That's why I went out tonight; today marks a month since he has been in prison and since then I have been able to love my life and myself again without having to live in fear of him finding me. And when I saw you…" She turned to face him, taking her hands in his. "I just felt this… need. This need to have you with me. I haven't felt this way about anyone in a long time and when I look at you…" Her hand rested on his cheek. "Something pulls you to me. Like a laser beam… and I can't get enough of it." Eric leaned into her and kissed her, resting both hands on her hips as she pulled them both to lay down on her bed. Natalia shuffled her way up the bed, not stopping until her head was on her pillow. She sighed, arching her back as she felt Eric's hands wander behind to find the bra strap. With a simple flick, the black lace garment was flung from her, landing somewhere on her floor. Taking a moment, Eric sat up to unbuckle his jeans, flinging them in the same place Natalia had pooled her dress. His clothing discarded, he ran his hands almost in a feather touch along the side of Natalia's thighs, feeling the skin underneath him erupt in goose bumps._**

 ** _"_** ** _You are so beautiful." He leaned up to her, capturing her lips in a kiss as he rested his hands on either side of her face. With a soft hand, he flicked his fingers underneath the band of her panties, slowly sliding them down her legs in an almost tease. Natalia moaned, her eyes closing as she felt Eric's fingers once again skirted up her legs and rested on her hip bones. "Ready?" He asked, casting another look into the woman's eyes for any sign of uncertainty or fear. Seeing none, and also seeing her nod, he used his left hand to slowly spread her legs apart, the other hand coming to rest on her shoulder for leverage as he slid every so graciously. Natalia gasped aloud, shocked at the feeling of him inside of her. She had been filled before, but never like this. "Are you alright?" He asked, suddenly worried that he had hurt her._**

 ** _"_** ** _Yes," She sighed, reaching her hands up to Eric's shoulders and digging her nails in slightly. "Please," This whole night had her head spinning. Natalia never, in her right mind, imagined that she would be having sex with a man she just met let alone enjoying it as much as she was now. Nor demanding it as much as she was. "Just don't stop…" Eric looked up at her, his eyes still having a slight streak of fear in them. "I want you." She affirmed, digging her nails into his shoulders. Not needing to be told again, Eric braced his hands on the side of her; using them for leverage as he began to thrust in and out of her. The sensation was nothing new for Eric, but for him to be on this much of a hair-trigger is something he wasn't used to. He wasn't sure if it was the alcohol or the adrenaline of sex with a stranger, but he knew that he was not able to get enough of this beautiful woman writhing underneath him. Her breathing came in soft moans, growing slightly louder as he leaned down and began to kiss at her neck, biting her vein softly. "Faster." She almost demanded, wrapping her legs around his waist as he stopped, sliding her up the bed slightly. Getting off of her for a moment, he rolled onto the other side and sat up, holding his hand to pull her onto his lap. With a smile, she this time straddled him, both hands going to her hair as she ran her fingers through it and rode him. Eric let his head fall back against the headboard with a smile, reaching forward. With a gasp, Natalia picked up the pace as she felt Eric's thumb begin to roll around her clit, the sensation causing her eyes to close. She moaned louder, Eric's breathing and moans driving her nuts. "I can't…" She was lost for words as Eric leaned forward and grabbed her hips, rolling them both over and pinning her to the mattress by the shoulders. "Eric, I'm…"_**

 ** _"_** ** _Natalia…" His pace picked up more, causing the bed to almost slam against the wall in a syncopated rhythm. "I'm- "Before he could finish his sentence, he felt his release tremble within him. He wasn't the only one on the edge; Natalia suddenly reached her hands up and wrapped her arms around Eric's neck and pulled him back down to her for a kiss, crying out through the kiss as she rode out her long overdue orgasm. Eric's pace matched hers, doing what another could do to keep the feeling going and ride it out for as long as they could. Feeling her tighten around him drove Eric over the edge, keeping his head in the nook of Natalia's neck as he felt his release escape, feeling her to the brim. After about two minutes, Eric looked to Natalia and smiled. She had a grin that clearly told him she was satisfied, and his smile was the same. Regrettably, he rolled off and out of her, resting his head on the pillow beside him. Breathing heavily, Eric rolled onto his side and rested his head on a propped-up elbow; Natalia doing the same._**

 ** _"_** ** _Wow," She sighed, laughing a little. Using one hand, she fished the sheet up from the end of the bed and covered herself with it, leaving enough for Eric to drape over his waist as he lay back down on the pillow. Looking at her, he smiled sideways and wrapped a hand around her shoulder, pulling her close to him and laying her head on his shoulder. He kissed her head, looking into her eyes._**

 ** _"_** ** _I hope I didn't hurt you," He ran his fingers down the side of her arms softly, the goosebumps returning. Natalia sighed a happy sigh and tilted her head back, Eric's fingers ever so softly beginning to run through her hair._**

 ** _"_** ** _No, you didn't." She lay down again, resting her head on his chest as she kissed him. "But you did give me a very good taste of what's to come for the rest of the night." She winked, straddling him this time and resting her forehead against him; her hair forming a curtain around them both as she kissed him like her life depended on it. Natalia knew, as she grinded her hips against Eric again and laced her fingers with his, that she wanted nothing more from this handsome hero tonight than to make love to her to the point that she didn't think she could walk. That would do just fine._**

Anya almost spat her wine out; staring at her sisters with wide eyes. Out of the three women, Anya was the most innocent of them. Inexplicably, she felt anger rise inside of her at her sister's carelessness. Never had she imagined that Natalia, who had been through hell and back at the hands of her ex-husband, would hook up with a stranger on the same night that they met. "Well…"

"Well what?" Natalia asked, setting her now empty wine glass on the coffee table. It was her turn for her anger to bubble up. _If they didn't want to know, they shouldn't have asked._ "This is why I didn't want to tell you about it because I knew you would judge me." She clasped her hands together, bracing herself for a lecture from Anya; which she knew would be a laugh. Being four years younger, she was often concerned for her older sister's safety but the advice she often gave bad advice.

"I just thought that, after what happened with- "Anya began, but Natalia put a hand up to stop her.

"Don't…" Her stare turned icy. "You do not need to say his name; and you do not get to judge me. I went out that night to have fun and to not think about him; and Eric was able to do that. He has been able to help me forget about my old life for the past almost three months. Who cares if we slept together the first night we met? I'm sure you and Matt did something similar!" Natalia's voice was starting to rise. She didn't mean to yell at her sister, but she felt like she was being judged immensely. "I would like to see you in my position."

"Ok!" Christine interjected, putting her hands up in a 'T' shape. She looked to Anya. "We both asked Natalia about how they met, so we don't get to throw judgement at her. Especially after what she has been through." She turned now to Natalia; who had her arms folded across her chest and her eyes were almost piercing her sister's soul in two. "And you," Natalia almost rolled her eyes. "I know you are angry with her, but losing your cool is not how to solve it." She cast a look between both of her sisters. Being the middle child, she was used to defusing blowouts between her two sisters; but she hadn't had to do that since they were teenagers. "Remember what mom always told us?" She asked. Both women sighed, looking at one another again.

"Meet in the middle." Natalia almost groaned. Anya sighed, nodding in agreement. "Why do you have to pull that on us?" She felt like she was a teenager again; being scolded for taking the car out for a joyride without asking.

"Because it works." She put a hand on both girl's shoulders. "Now…" She turned them to face another. "Apologize. And hug it out."

With another sigh, Anya unfolded her arms and rubbed her forehead with her hand. "I'm sorry, Nat… I just don't want you to get hurt like before." Natalia felt her temper cool marginally, smiling softly.

"I know… and I'm sorry for being a cranky little bitch." With another smile, she pulled her sisters close to her and held them, resting her cheek atop of Anya's head. Maybe life wasn't always easy, but siblings like hers and a man like Eric, she knew that that was darn close to perfection.


	6. Chapter 6

_Long awaited (For the like three of you who read my story. And to you, I am thankful) part 3 of that saga in the earlier mentioned chapters - Hell-Raisers in this and the next chapter and the team being part of these and the rest of chapters._

 _More sexy time in the first half before we get to some more serious stuff in the second half._

The persistent buzzing of the alarm drew Natalia first from her slumber, the woman doing everything in her power to not throw the dreaded alarm clock across the room. As it was, she gave it a mighty smack with her hand and groaned, her face in the pillow. "Alright, alright..." Her voice was muffled from the fabric, but she felt herself smile when she felt a familiar weight on her lower back and hands gently massaging her shoulders. "Mm..." She lifted her face from the pillow, grinning as she felt Eric's lips capture hers in a soft yet meaningful kiss. Eric had been staying at her place more often than not lately, and she had to admit that she was used to the company. But, unlike her, he had the day off that day so she was very unsure what he was doing awake at the same time she was. "Good morning." She grinned, kissing him again. Eric smiled and got off of her, laying back on his side of the bed in nothing but his black silk boxers and some white tube socks. He was truly the image of a man enjoying a lazy day.

"Good morning to you, too," He leaned over as she sat up and kissed her again, lingering just a little longer as he rested his hand on the curve of her hip and pulled her closer to him. Natalia moaned through the kiss but pulled away reluctantly, knowing that the shower she was about to take would have to be a long one if she was going to make it to work on time. Thankful that she had gotten her wardrobe ready the night before, she reluctantly got out of bed, allowing her hips to swing a little as she walked towards the bathroom, knowing full well that Eric was watching. With a smile and shake of her head, she turned on the shower and adjusted the temperature, singing to herself as she disrobed and stepped under the steaming water and closed the door behind her. As Natalia let the water wash over her hair and run down her back, she felt herself begin to relax. Since their dinner with Christine and Anya, something had changed between the two of them. There were more smiles, more flirtatious moments at work but most importantly, in Natalia's mind, the sex was more passionate. Squeezing a generous amount of Black Orchid body-wash onto her loofah, she started humming the tune of 'Umbrella' by Rihanna as the steam built around her. Rinsing herself off and reaching with closed eyes for her shampoo, she was more than a little surprised to feel a hand atop of hers and the two hands pulling the bottle down. Opening her eyes, she gasped before she felt Eric's lips collide with hers and his body push her gently against the cool tiles of the shower.

"What are you-" Her question was cut off by another kiss, Eric's hands now wandering to her abdomen as his fingers skirted lower down. "You're gonna make me-" She gasped as she felt her legs part at their own accord, welcoming Eric's questioning fingers as used two to gently pump in and out of her and his thumb to rub her pearl in a slow yet lustful rhythm which matched his fingers. "Oh, god..." She moaned, her head going back and hitting the tiled wall a little harder than she would have liked. With a reluctant sigh, she used her own hand to cease Eric's movements. "As much as I _want_ this to continue, I think I'm going to be late as it is and I don't want Horatio mad at me... that DNA won't analyse itself." She took the shampoo bottle from Eric, or at least she attempted to. With a smile, Eric tugged it away from her and opened it, squeezing a generous amount into his hand before massaging it into Natalia's long brown hair. She sighed softly, allowing herself to relax against him as she felt his fingers massage her scalp. Taking the time to relax was something that Eric had taught her, and it was a lesson she was thankful to have learnt so easily. She jumped slightly as she felt the water pour over her and Eric's hands once again massaging to remove the last of the bubbles. With a small chuckle, she felt one of Eric's hands rest on her shoulder while the other reached to her left side and gripped the conditioner, repeating the same process as with the shampoo. However, when he returned the bottle to the shelf, one of his hands 'accidentally' skirted across the top of her breast, causing her to jump. As the conditioner washed out, Natalia smiled to herself through the running water over her face. She turned around, her hands trained on Eric's chest as she pulled him close to her and kissed him, allowing the two of them to be standing under the running water. As quickly as she had insinuated the kiss, she pulled away and winked.

"Oh, come on!" Eric moaned with a laugh, reaching now for his own body wash.

"To be continued." Natalia winked, exiting the shower and wrapping a pink towel around her body and a small white towel around her hair. Knowing she was being watched through the glass of the shower, she took a little longer to dry her hair with the hairdryer, every now and then taking the time to flick it around a little and keep the dryer on her face as her hair danced in the hot wind. Satisfied, she fished around the drawers for her makeup and carefully applied her blush, lip-gloss, eyeliner and mascara and the final touch of eye shadow before plumping her lips and exiting the bathroom, smiling as she heard Eric laugh to himself. Dressing quickly, she stopped mid-button on her blue silk blouse as her phone lit up. Finishing on the top, she almost hopped to get her legs in her tan pants as she grabbed her phone and flipped it open, laughing a little at the text.

 **Get yourself out of bed, girl. We need you in the lab. I've got homemade biscuits ;) Now hurry up. Calleigh.** With a laugh, Natalia fastened her pants and slipped her feet into a pair of black stilettos and clipped her ID and badge to her hip. Satisfied with her appearance, she grabbed her phone, keys and handbag.

"Don't use all of my hot water!" Natalia called as she grabbed an apple from the counter and headed for the front door. She heard her bathroom door close.

"Have a good day and stay safe!" Eric called. Touched by his concern, Natalia lingered in the doorway for a moment. Pursing her lips, she headed back to her bedroom quickly and ran towards Eric, stopped just in front of him and kissed him quickly on the lips.

"You too." She smiled before heading back to the door. She knew that by now she would be late. With a small smile, she locked the front door behind her and walked towards her car. Unlocking the car, she slid in and stopped when her phone began to ring. Figuring it was Calleigh, she fished it out of her pocket and flipped it open. "Keep it together, Cal. I'll be there soon." However on the other line she heard nothing but breathing. Before she hung up, she heard a female voice say _enjoy it while you can._ Hanging up, Natalia looked at her phone for a second before throwing it on the seat next to her and turning the key. **Well that wasn't weird or anything...** ****

 **25 minutes later**

"There she is!" Ryan smirked, laughing as Natalia almost ran into DNA and shrugged her lab-coat. on. "What kept you?" he asked with a wink, leaning on the glass table. He may have had a sore eye but he didn't miss the slight shade of red just under Natalia's collar.

"I uh..." She typed in her password, drumming her fingers on the table when it wasn't loading as fast as she wanted it to. "I slept through my alarm," her screen loaded, thankful that she had something to draw her attention to besides Ryan.

"I see," Ryan folded his arms, sitting across from her. Natalia looked up from her computer. "I've got some DNA on a cold case I'm waiting on... could I see if the results on the Dowling case are in?" He asked with a small smile. Natalia returned the smile and nodded, moving the mouse and typing. As the screen loaded, Ryan's phone buzzed. "Wolfe." Natalia stayed focused on the screen, figuring it was just another case. "Dade Mutual? Sure... What? Is Eric ok?" That caught Natalia's attention. "Thank god... alright, I'll be there as soon as I can." He hung up, not missing the look of worry that was now cast over Natalia's face.

"What happened?" She asked, trying her hardest to keep her voice steady. "Is Eric OK?" She tried again, leaning heavily on the glass table and resting on her elbows.

"There was a bank robbery, and Eric was inside... teller was killed, but he's ok." Ryan explained, noticing the tension escape the younger woman before him. "He's on his way here... H figured he is the best asset in this case."

Natalia suddenly had no words. "Oh... ok. That-that's good. " She looked at her watch. "I have to, um..." She shrugged off her labcoat and headed towards the ladies room, the speed noticed by Calleigh across the way in Trace. Ryan followed Natalia out, stopping in the hallyway in the same doorway as Calleigh was currently standing.

"What was all that about?" She asked, taking off her gloves and lab coat.

Ryan shrugged. "Not a clue... women are rather hard to understand." Calleigh gave him a soft elbow in the side before taking the same path Natalia had taken. "You too?" He asked with a small laugh.

"Unless you want to get slapped for going in there I think it's better if I go in there, don't you?" She asked with a laugh. Closing the heavy door behind her, Calleigh stopped at the first sink as she heard Natalia's hushed voice.

 _"I'm just glad you're ok... of course I was worried about you. Yeah. Yeah, I'm ok. I promise..."_ She laughed a little, causing Calleigh to smile. It was nice to hear someone was making her co worker happy. She was just curious as to who it could have been... _"Ok, I will see you soon. Ok... I love you too. Bye."_ Calleigh heard the phone flip shut and she quickly turned on the tap as she heard the stall door open.

"Oh." Natalia smiled, a little surprised to see her in here. "Hey, Cal." She copied Calleigh's actions, giving her a small smile. "Did you hear about the new case?" She asked casually, turning the tap off and reaching for some papertowel. Calleigh did the same, flashing a genuine smile for a second before it faded.

"Yeah... I'm just glad Eric is OK." As she went to open the door, the two ladies heard a vibrating. "That's me..." Calleigh fished her phone out of her pocket and read the screen. "I'm needed in interrogation. I'll see you soon." She left the bathroom, allowing Natalia to take a much needed sigh when she knew she was alone. Taking her phone out again, she quickly found Eric's number and sent him a message before leaving the bathroom.

 **Glad you're OK. Will see you soon. I love you.** As she walked down the hall back towards DNA, she felt her phone vibrate in her pocket. Looking around quickly, she opened the phone and smiled at the message.

 **Will feel better when I get to see you. Love you too.**

CSICSICSICSICSICSICSICSICSICSICSICSI

Natalia did not get the chance to see Eric for most of the day; knowing that he was rather wrapped up in the case of the bank robbery and the bizarre idea that people were re-creating a video game. She had found herself in the evidence locker, re-signing in the mask that 'Demon' had worn during the heist after Eric had processed it and not returned it. Placing it back in its rightful box, she turned back to the file in front of her as she sighed the bottom of a page and turned to the back of it.

"Get the door, please." One of the officers asked as he left the locker with a trolley full of evidence boxes. Natalia nodded, not really looking was then that she noticed it; two masked figures coming right towards her. With the evidence locker opened, she suddenly found herself rather vulnerable. Before she could close it, both men pushed it opened and made their way in.

"Give me the mask! Give me the mask!" One of them demanded, pushing her towards the evidence boxes. Natalia almost went into autopilot as she scanned her eyes on the shelf for the box she had only _just_ been looking at.

"Do it now or I'll blow your head off." The second voice sounded no older than 18. _"What the hell was going on with these kids?!_ When Natalia still didn't move, she heard the voice again. "Do it now..." Remembering hostage training, she found her hands up at the side of her body as she calmly reached for the clear bag with the mask in it, carefully handing it to them. The one in the mask with the eyes cut out, snatched it out of her hands, causing her to gasp and jump at the same time. Turning to face her attackers, she found herself staring down the barrel of a Tech-9; a gun she had only seen pictures of and heard stories of its firing capabilities. Natalia's entire body was shaking from head to toe, but she wasn't the only one. The kid holding the gun was terrified - she could see it in his eyes.

"5000 points, bitch!" He cried, his hands shaking more than her entire body. "Add 'em up!" Taking what she thought would be her last breath, she found herself saying a silent prayer before she heard a shot ring out and the kid dropped to the ground. She looked to Horatio, relief rushing over her as she ducked under the evidence table and kept her arms folded over her head; gunshots and shattering glass echoing all around her.

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When the chaos had calmed down and the case had been solved, Natalia found herself sitting on the bench in front of her open locker, her head in her hands and her heart in her throat. Never had she thought that working in the lab would be something that would put her life in danger but, because of a stupid mistake on her part, that exact thing had happened. She heard footsteps, and she sighed in relief when she recognised them as the same footsteps that were echoing throughout her house lately. She looked up, tears springing into her eyes suddenly. Eric stood before with a small smile on his face and open arms. Natalia got to her feet and wrapped her arms around Eric, pulling him close to her and resting her head in the crook of his neck. She knew that anyone could be watching them at this point, but she just didn't care... she needed a sense of things being OK and with Eric being there, that is exactly what she got. Hearing heeled steps walking past the locker room caused neither Natalia or Eric to budge, so they were completely unaware of the figure stopping to snap a picture of the two in the embrace before smiling to herself and walking away.

 _Next up - a bit more of 4x09 and... the test. Oh yes... that one. And there is more from that mystery picture snapper and the Gloria thing will be mentioned._

 _Thankyou for keeping with me on this story._


	7. Chapter 7

_Setting - still in 4x09_

 _Note: I adore both Eva La Rue and Emily Procter and from what I have seen, they are good friends in real life as well as on the show. So, I wanted this chapter to be about them having a close moment together; and Calleigh's reaction to the whole Monica West thing annoyed me. She played it too cool. If that was me I would slapped him across the face and broke down into tears. So I wanted to play on her anger here also. And lets be honest... we love it when our girl loses her cool._

Natalia was walking out of the locker room, feeling a little more relief after Eric's embrace. Wiping her eye with the back of her hand, she spied Calleigh walking into Firearms and closing the door behind her, a hand over her mouth and her other hand wiping her eyes furiously. Calleigh was crying; something she had not seem her do before, let alone at work. Something must have happened to her, something awful. _'Odd...'_ Forgetting her own angst for the time being, and figuring she could try and help Calleigh out, she carefully walked across the hall from the bathroom to Firearms, peaking her head inside the empty range.

"Calleigh?" She called, walking quietly across the tiled floor. Her own voice echoed back to her. _Wait a minute... Calleigh isn't usually in Firearms..._ "Cal, are you in here?" She tried again, but again all she was greeted with was her echo. Turning back on her heel to leave, she spun around when she heard the door to the office open. Natalia took one look at the older woman and instantly felt her heart break for her. She knew that look; Calleigh had had her heart broken and it had been broken bad. She could see the red rims of her eyes and the tear tracks down her cheeks.

"What is it, Natalia?" Calleigh asked, her voice coloured by her accent that seemed a bit thicker than normal. It was then that Natalia remembered something Eric had told her: Calleigh's accent varied depending on her mood. Right now, Natalia guessed, that mood would be improved by a nice shot or two of a good friend of hers called Jack Daniels.

"I just..." She stepped into the office when Calleigh went to close the door. She turned to face her; Calleigh folding her arms across her chest and Natalia keeping her hands clasped together in front of her. "I saw you coming in here and you looked upset... Is everything ok?" She figured the best approach with the southerner was honesty and she hoped it would pay off. Calleigh unfolded her arms and looked down, shaking her head as her shoulders began to shake.

"No..." She sniffled and looked up, fresh tears in her eyes and beginning to make their way down her cheeks. "I, uh... I found out something that I really didn't want to find out about someone I was..." She sat down on her desk, Natalia sitting in the chair in front of it. "I guess you could call it dating..." \

Natalia leaned forward, curious to find out what happened. "What was it?" She asked. Since coming to Miami-Dade, she had formed a bond with Calleigh. Not because they were the only girls on the team, save for Alexx, but because they both knew what it was like to come back from angst and fear. Calleigh with her parents and their drinking and Natalia with Nick. While she thought she knew a lot about the second-in-command, she figured she was wrong since she didn't know that she had been dating anyone.

"He uh..." Calleigh's voice began to break a little. "He had a fiancée and yet he neglected to tell me... even though we were _still sleeping together!"_ The tears she was holding in fell free at their own accord, Calleigh's head still down and her shoulders now beginning to shake. Natalia stood immediately, shuffling closer to her and pulling her close to her, allowing her head to rest on her shoulder. Calleigh Duquesne was not one to cry at work, but Natalia knew that she had been trying so hard to keep it in but she just couldn't take it anymore. She began to rock her slowly, the same way Anya and Christine had done to her many-a-times before.

"Sweetie..." Natalia rested her cheek on Calleigh's head, her heart breaking for the woman two years her junior. She put her index finger and thumb on her chin, causing her to look Natalia in the eyes. She suddenly had a line from one of her favourite movies pop into her head, and she figured it was very fitting for this situation. "Listen to me. Men are rats." Calleigh's cries softened, so she continued. "Listen to me... they're fleas on rats. Worse than that... they're _amoebas_ of fleas on rats." That made Calleigh smile a little, and let out a giggle as Natalia reached for a handful of tissues. "They're too low for even the dogs to bite." She dabbed at Calleigh's eyes, thanking her lucky stars that Eric would not do to her what Calleigh's man had done to her. "The only man a girl can depend on is the daddy..." She reasoned, knowing that since moving away, Calleigh had regained a relationship with her dad and she knew that she would tell him almost everything.

"Yeah..." Calleigh sighed a little and wiped her eyes, clearing her throat. "Well," She rested her hands on her thighs and looked to Natalia, smiling a little. "I think after this crap hold of a day I could use a drink. Care to join me?" She asked. Natalia felt torn in two; she had promised Eric that they could spend time together after the case but she also didn't want to leave Calleigh alone when she needed it.

"Uh..." She found the cogs in her head turning and before she could give her an answer, her phone chirped. "Give me a minute, I just need to check this then I'm all yours. Calleigh nodded but said nothing, getting down from the desk and gathering her bag. With her attention away, Natalia took the chance to read the message. It was from the last person she wanted to be hearing from.

 **Peter told me about his little fling with blondie. Now I need confirmation from you. The more details the better. And I still need information about Delko. You didn't mention that at our last meeting.** Natalia raised an eyebrow but got out of the message before Calleigh turned back around. It looked like she had some prying to do, and it was not the kind she wanted to be doing tonight.

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Natalia sat in one of the booths at Brennan's; the labs go to hangout place after a tough case. Thankfully, Eric had decided to join them so it was a little less awkward when Natalia had to ask the question she had been dreading. Eric and Calleigh returned from the bar, the two of them managing to carry three drinks between them and Eric smiled, sitting next to Natalia and sliding her Vodka Sunrise while Calleigh sat across from them with a green drink which she guessed was Midori; one of her personal favourites. She smiled, watching Calleigh take her drink and Eric wrap his leg around hers under the booth. Natalia bit her a lip and gripped her drink as well, dreading asking the question she was pretty sure she knew the answer to thanks to Monica.

"Hey, Cal..." Calleigh took a sip of her drink and sat it down, an eyebrow raised slightly. "Forgive me for thinking this is too personal, and feel free to not answer this but, who was it who-"

"A fed." Calleigh's answer threw both of the CSI's across from her as she took a heavier drink and set her glass down a little harder than she intended. "It was a Fed. And it was one that both of y'all know." Now that the day was over, Calleigh did not have the time or the patience to play nice about the matter. "Peter Elliot." Natalia almost choked on her drink and Eric laughed a little. Calleigh shot him a look of anger. "And what's so funny?" She demanded, her words almost laced with anger.

"Nothin I just..." Eric saved himself by taking another drink. "I knew he had a thing for you but I didn't..." He sobered a little seeing the hurt in Calleigh's eyes. "I'm sorry, Cal." Calleigh sighed and felt her anger dissipate a little more as she finished her drink.

"It's ok. It had nothin' to do with y'all it was all Hagen." Calleigh finished her drink and stood, gathering her bag and jacket. "I'm sorry guys I'm not very good company tonight I think I'll just call it a night." She shuffled out of the booth, both Natalia and Eric caught off guard by her behaviour. "I'll see you tomorrow." With that she left, leaving Natalia looking at Eric with wide eyes and a raised eyebrow.

"You wanna tell me what that was all about?" She asked, taking another sip of her drink and resting her left hand in her pocket. Biting her tongue inside her mouth, she pressed 'record' on the side of her phone and rest the phone on the table; screen down so Eric would be none the wiser.

"That?" Eric sighed heavily. "Hagen was a Detective that worked with us on and off for three years. He and Calleigh dated for a while, but she called it off when he made a dig about her dad. The two of them have been through a lot in their lives but she loves her dad unconditionally and that was the last straw for her. A few months later, she must have started seeing Peter Elliot, the Fed who was at the lab today."

"Yeah, I..." Natalia rested her hand on the glass. "I know him." She sighed heavily, smiling a little as Eric's foot began to play with hers. She cleared her throat, reminding herself why she was here. "So this Hagen guy... Where is he now?"

It was Eric's turn to sigh heavily. "No... Before you started with us, Calleigh was working in Firearms. She is our Bulletgirl; you had a question about any sort of firearm or any that needed to be fired, and she was able to do it. But... Hagen came to her and Calleigh was the witness to his suicide." Natalia gasped, genuinely shocked and sad for the woman who she was lucky enough to call a friend. "She transferred out immediately. He found a key piece of evidence on a bombing we were working, and he took it; figuring that he could 'discover it' later and look like the hero but he was scared that he had been seen by Calleigh so he put a gun to her head and ran off." He explained, taking another mouthful of his drink.

"Oh, my god..." Natalia instantly felt guilty. Not only had Calleigh gone through hell and back once at the hands of a man who was supposed to love her, but she had had it happen again twice. Nobody deserved to be going through what she was. Eric stood, causing Natalia to look at him in surprise. "Where are you going?" She asked, genuinely surprised. Eric smiled and kissed her forehead.

"Just heading to the bathroom. Then," He kissed her knuckles on her right hand. "I do believe I owe you dinner." He winked away, Natalia smiling after him. As soon as he was out of her line of sight, she sighed heavily and pressed stop on her phone before opening it and opening a new text message.

 **If you want information on this lab, get it from another source. I'm doing being your mole.**


	8. Chapter 8

_Sexy times afoot!_

 _And yes - 4x15 is coming up. But I personally really DIDNT like that storyline so I'm writing my version. And then we continue from there. I know it's taking some time to build up, but it is getting there. I just have a lot of episode plotlines to change here. This is still 4x09._

 _Note: I know it was established in 4x24 that Gloria caused some issues between Eric and Natalia, but I want this to delve more into it. And I'm not going to lie, I love it when Eric saves his lady._

Natalia flipped her phone shut angrily, fighting everything in her to not throw the damn thing across the table. She was sick of playing the bad guy, and she knew that she had to tell Eric about it soon or she would find herself unable to do so without breaking his heart. With a heavy sigh, she realised something; no matter when she told him it would crush him. So, she would just have to keep quiet. As expected, she only got to a count of three before her phone rang. Casting a look around to see if Eric was returning, she quickly exited the booth and headed outside towards the parking lot; not answering until she was out of ear range from anyone.

"Monica." She said in a flat tone. She had every intention of ceasing her business of the mole and no matter what Monica threw at her, she was going to ensure she was not drawn back in.

 _"Don't Monica me!"_ Sure enough, Monica was pissed. _"I gave you this job to sniff out what is going on in this lab, and you don't get to quit when you feel like it. You're my employee, not Horatio's. No matter how much you like to think you are. You are not part of that team; you are there to bring them down."_

"I don't recall signing my soul over to you!" Natalia's restraint snapped like a twig. "I took this job to sniff out a dirty lab and no matter how hard you try, this one isn't! And the last time I checked, I still have free reign to do what I please." She stopped to take a breath. "And besides, there's a saying; if you want something done you do it yourself." She looked back towards the door, smiling as she saw Eric exit. "Now if you'll excuse me..."

 _"Agent Boa Vista! I could_ -" Before she could finish her threat, Natalia hung up and pocketed her phone. Natalia grinned and opened her arms to him, happily pulling him close to her and placing a passionate kiss on Eric's lips. He was stunned at first but reciprocated the kiss. Her hands travelling to his hips, she found herself pinning him up against her car which thankfully was only parked two spaces away. As soon as he felt the metal of the car against his back, Eric pulled away.

"Not that I mind this playfulness," He kissed her again. "But what brings this on?" He asked. Before he could get an answer, Natalia ripped open the door to her backseat and almost shoved him in, climbing in after him and closing the door behind her. With a grin, she straddled him and resumed their kiss; her hands resting on his chest as she gripped his shirt and pulled her close to him. "Natalia..." He turned his head away, sighing as he felt Natalia's lips attack his neck. "Nat... public. We could get arrested." He tried to reason, but he knew that he was rather close to losing any control he had and taking her right there in the parking lot. She smiled a shit-eating grin and looked around her car.

"Tinted windows, baby," She kissed him again, his hands resting on her hips as she moved her lips down to her neck. "But then again we should move to an emptier parking lot." With a wink, she climbed off Eric's lap and quickly starting the car; causing Eric to sit back in the backseat trying to catch his breath as Natalia started the car and pulled away.

"Wow…" Eric sighed, finding himself smiling. Eric sat back and looked up at the ceiling as the car weaved around the streets of Miami. This is something that he thought he would never have; a relationship with a woman that he got to see almost all the time, an adventurous sex life and strong feelings that went deeper towards one another than lust. After a few minutes, Natalia pulled her car into an underground parking lot that, Eric guessed, was close to the lab. That's when he realised as he helped Natalia climb into the backseat; This _was_ the lab! They were in their parking lot! "What are we-"A quick kiss from Natalia shut him up, his hands going immediately going to her jacket and pulling it off of her. With a giggle, Natalia fumbled the buttons on Eric's shirt and did everything in her power to not grunt in annoyance in seeing a white tank-top rather than his muscles. "Why are we doing this here?" he asked, sitting back in the seat a little. "We could get in serious trouble if we get caught." Natalia kissed him again, now straddling him and clasping her hands together behind his head.

"Look around," As he turned his neck, Natalia grinned and began to kiss his neck, smiling to herself as she felt his breath on the other side of her neck. "It's late," She felt her breath hitch as Eric's right hand came to rest on her hip and the left smacked her on the backside through her slacks. The sensation caused her to gasp louder than she intended and jump, her head hitting the roof of her car in the process. A hand immediately rested atop her head, her eyes watering at the contact. Being a small car, she had hoped that this wouldn't happen; she had hit her head on the door light in the roof, causing her eyes to water slightly.

"Are you OK?" Eric asked, one hand staying on her hip and the other coming to rest on her cheek. Natalia smiled a watery smile and nodded, touched by his concern. He cast a look around the car and then looked out the window, relieved that the lights of the lot were off. "What if we moved this outside?" He winked, leaning over to open the door. Natalia grinned and nodded, climbing off him and getting out, not even reaching a count of three before she felt Eric's hands on her hips and pulling her towards a pillar. Doing all she could to repress a moan, she instead laughed a little as Eric all but pushed her against a pillar; their lips immediately meeting. Through the kiss, Natalia sighed as she felt Eric's hands make quick work of her belt, button and zipper of her pants. Her breathing heavy, she returned the favour and unbuttoned his jeans, popping the button and tugging them down slightly.

"This is really dangerous…" She giggled, her index finger and thumb toying with the slightly visible band of Eric's Calvin Klein boxers. "What happens if we get caught?" She asked, biting her lip as she felt Eric copy her actions as he teasingly reached for the top of her purple lace panties. She had specifically bought herself this set only three days earlier; knowing that purple against her skin was more than enough to send Eric into overdrive.

"We won't…" Eric shimmied his boxers down and Natalia's panties, entering her in a quick swift thrust. The speed of it caught Natalia off guard, her eyes widening and she letting out an involuntary 'Oh, my god!' before he stopped, allowing her to accommodate for him again. "We know how well the cameras down here work and its nightshift…everyone is here, and they won't be leaving for a while. Plenty of time…" He kissed her, his hands coming to rest on her cheeks. She opened her eyes, the brown orbs darkening from lust.

"Let's do it." She winked. She giggled as Eric lifted her up and held her against the pillar, his hands coming to rest on her backside as he began to thrust. The force of the thrusts sent Natalia's head reeling as she felt herself be slammed against the cool pillar, the cement coming into contact with her lower back. Her eyes closed, and she bit down on her lip, doing all she could to not let out a scream. Their sex life was entering the phase that involves experimentation; and while she was not complaining about sexual outing, she could do without the cold cement against her ass! She clenched her left hand in a fist and brought her knuckles to her lips, her legs quivering in anticipation. From both the angle Eric had her pinned but also from the build-up of her well overdue release that, if she had anything to say about, would cause her to scream in a few seconds. Almost sensing her need for release, Eric sunk his teeth into the skin of her neck just below her collarbone. Natalia gasped with a squeak, gripping Eric's short hair in her fingers as she felt him speed up.

"You are so beautiful." Eric almost growled, kissing her neck again. That did it. As soon as Natalia felt his teeth dig into her skin, her legs clenched against Eric's hips as she cried out, her orgasm so intense she began to feel her eyes roll back into her head. This was not the first time that the pleasure Eric had provided her had caused her to lose consciousness, but it was the first time it happened to her in a public place. Eric smiled to himself, feeling Natalia slump forward with her head resting against his shoulder. "Nat…" He tapped her cheek with his hand, laughing softly as he heard her groan. She lifted her head, her eyes slightly unfocused as she smiled and kissed him on the cheek. The two of them looked around, chuckling as he set Natalia back on her feet and readjusted their slacks.

"Well…" Natalia ran a hand through her hair and looked around, laughing as Eric fixed his belt. "That is certainly something to add to the bucket list." She winked, taking Eric's hand and tugging the two of them back towards the car. A metallic 'clang' was heard, causing them to turn their heads towards the fire exit doors. "What was that?" She asked, gripping Eric's hand a little tighter as he pulled her behind him. The crash of glass behind her caused Natalia to jump, gripping Eric's shirt with both hands now as tears pricked her eyes. Twice in one day her safety was called into question, but at least this time she had Eric to protect her. "What do we do now?" She was desperate to get home and hide under her blanket, but she knew that before they did that, they had to get to safety.

"Just stay behind me…" Eric warned, cursing himself silently that he didn't keep his ankle weapon on him. "Come on." The two of them quickly crossed the parking lot to the elevator, not seeing the two figures hiding behind a parked Jeep, smiling as she held a brick in her hand and he held a camera in his.

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The ride to the 4th floor was silent, the only sound being Natalia's breathing as she cast her eyes around the small space. Eric was first to speak.

"I think we need to tell H about us." This comment caused Natalia to look him right in the eye, her lust-filled orbs from earlier changed now to fear and a splash of anger.

"Does he really need to know? I thought we were keeping this hidden." It wasn't that she didn't want to tell Horatio about the two of them dating, but it was more the fact that she knew the two of them could lose their jobs. And even worse, she could lose her relationship with Eric for not telling him right away why she was really at the lab. As the doors to the elevator opened at the fourth floor, Natalia was stunned to see Monica standing before the two of them; her arms folded across her chest and a smile on her face that Natalia knew spelt trouble for the two of them.

"Agent Boa Vista, CSI Delko…" She looked behind her, Horatio standing by the Reception desk. _'Damn it H, why couldn't you leave early tonight?!"_ Both Eric and Natalia had the same thought as they exited the elevator. "I think the three of us need to have a talk."


	9. Chapter 9

_Still in 4x09. But after this and two more chapters, I will be diving into 4x15. I may have exaggerated how dangerous some of these characters can be, but judging how some of them were on the show, I think I've done them justice._

Natalia looked at Eric, her heart in her throat. "What is this about?" She asked, her voice faltering a little. She could feel her heart beating in her ears. Monica wordlessly withdrew a manila folder from her bag and handed it to Eric.

"I think the two of you need to see this." She said simply, keeping her arms folded across her chest. Natalia took the folder from Eric before he could get it and opened it, her jaw dropping at what she saw. Someone had managed to snap a photo of both her and Eric together in, from what she could see, in her living room on her couch amid a passionate kiss. She showed it to Eric, her eyes beginning to water. She looked away, dreading where she knew the conversation was going to head.

"When was this taken?" She asked, spying a look at Eric. He had two hands on the photo, his eyes almost glued to it. His night, which he had planned on ending with him giving Natalia her own key to his place, was certainly not heading where he thought it would. Horatio joined the group, looking towards the break room.

"What matters is what it shows. A Federal Agent and a CSI in a relationship that obviously neither of your bosses were made aware of? That's low for even you, Horatio." Monica smirked. She had put two and two together; she saw how the two Latina's before exchanged looks, and the small smiles. To put the cream on top of this evidence pie, she had lost count of how many times she had seen Natalia come to work in the same clothes she had worn the day before and the same excuses seemed to be on a loop. "Lieutenant?" She turned to Horatio, who was looking between the two of them. "Do you have anything to add to this?" She asked. Even if she didn't have the evidence to shut this lab down, she had more than enough to discredit the two of them and possibly even get one of them fired. If not both.

"Miss West, I don't think this is any of our concern. Both Eric and Natalia have been able to work together in a civilised manner since beginning this relationship and I don't see how this will affect them going into the future." He turned to them both, regarding them with a soft smile. "Just how serious is this, Eric?" He asked. Natalia and Eric looked at one another, Eric wordlessly slipping his hand into Natalia's and giving it a squeeze.

"I love her." He confessed. Natalia smiled, looked down and bit her lip. She had heard Eric say he loved her before, but this was the first time he had said it in front of anyone in public. She had to admit, it felt rather nice.

"And you, Miss Boa Vista?" Horatio asked, a knowing smile being shown to both of them. Natalia reciprocated the hand squeeze wordlessly. He turned his attention to Monica, who still had her arms folded across her chest and her expression had soured considerably. He knew what she was trying to do; and if he had anything to say about it, Monica would be leaving this lab without the information and the victory of tainting them that she had obviously come here to achieve. "Miss West," He pressed the 'down' button on the elevator, almost pushing her towards it as they opened. "I think you have got all that you need from this lab for now."

"This isn't over, Lieutenant!" Monica warned as the doors closed.

"It is for now." He said as he saw the lights for the floors illuminate. Both Eric and Natalia sighed heavily and turned back to Horatio, who wore a rather amused smile on his face. "So…" He let out a small chuckle. "How long has this been happening?" He asked. Natalia and Eric looked at each other, Eric being the first one to answer.

"Just over two months. It was just after she started at the lab." He explained, the grip on Natalia's hand tightening as he gave it a reassuring squeeze. Natalia smiled softly, relieved that she had, for now, dodged the 'mole' bullet but as she realised, it would be harder and harder to dodge the longer she kept this façade up. She sighed, not having the energy to tell Eric about it at this point in time.

"Well…" Horatio let out a chuckle. "I guess congratulations are in order." He smiled, shaking Eric's hand and giving Natalia a kiss on the cheek. "Just no secret rendezvous in the labs. Glass walls, you know." He laughed, causing Natalia and Eric to laugh as well. When she calmed, she remembered her reason for coming back up to the lab in the first place.

"Horatio… we were outside before, and we heard something that sounded like breaking glass and metal being dragged along the ground. There were no other cars around, so it couldn't have been someone hitting something, so we wanted to- "

"We can look at the security tapes. The cameras were upgraded last week." He announced, not noticing the look exchanged between both Eric and Natalia at that suggestion. He began to rethink the other option. "Or… I could go out there with you to have a look around?" Natalia nodded, her cheeks turning crimson. Eric's looked no better, his eyes not even being able to meet with Horatio's. "Ok well… Let me get my kit." As he left reception and headed back towards his office, Natalia turned to Eric and started to laugh. She didn't know how else to react to almost having her ass handed to her and all she could do was laugh as she felt Eric's arms wrap around her. As soon as he pulled her close to him, the laughing stopped and was replaced instead with soft sobs.

"Hey…" Eric kissed her temple, feeling a sense of relief that he could do this in public without having to look over his shoulder at who was watching them. "What's wrong?" He asked. She looked into his eyes, her orbs glistening with unshed tears.

"Someone found out about us… they caught us." She lifted the picture for him to be able to see clearly. "We were this close to losing our jobs…" She whispered, "Whoever took this could be up to something else bigger."

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Feeling an odd sense of dejavu, Eric, Natalia and Horatio descended the elevator to the parking lot. Natalia could not look either man in the eye as they got lower and lower. Her boss, the man she was trying her hardest to impress and prove that she was a capable agent and possibly a CSI, had let her guard down and allowed her secret to be exposed. Hopefully, she thought, this would be the only instance of her personal life being on full display. As the doors opened and she saw her car, however, she knew that would not be the case. Exiting the doors, she stopped just shy at her car and gasped in shock. All four windows and the back window had been smashed, an envelope stuck on the front windshield and her purse and phone missing.

"Oh, my god!" She was both shocked and angry. Someone was messing with her, and she had inking suspicion on who could be helping him out. She went to take the envelope off the windshield, but a gloved hand stopped her.

"You can't." It was Horatio, already reaching for the envelope in her shaking hand. Reluctantly, she handed it over and walked around her car, inspecting the damage. She heard the paper tearing and an audible gasp from Horatio as he withdrew the contents.

"What is it?" Eric asked, looking at his boss. With a look like Horatio's, he took the papers and photos out, slowly flicking through them. Each one made his heart rise into his throat; inside, photos of Natalia from her last hospital admission at Nick's hands were placed in-between transcripts of Nicks trial as well as a picture of Natalia at Sutton's birthday, walking in and out of the lab, at her house and most terrifying, another one of her and Eric kissing. This time, from what Natalia could guess, from the first night they met. On six of the photos, when lay out next to one another was the message 'you can't get away that easily.' "H…" Both men turned their attention to Natalia, her eyes widening at the message it read. That's when she knew.

"He's going to kill me." Her realisation was a whisper as her hands went to her face, hiding her eyes as she began to cry. Eric, unsure on how else to offer comfort, opened his arms to her and embraced her as Horatio bagged the photos and envelope.

"I think we need the whole team here for this." He nodded to both of them, Horatio turning back to the elevator to log this evidence and call the rest of the team. "We will keep you safe, Miss Boa Vista." His words were soon proven false, however. As soon as his back was turned, Eric heard something 'whoosh' past him followed by more loud pops. Acting quickly, he grabbed Natalia by the waist and pulled her to the ground, apologising as she cried out upon hitting the concrete.

"Stay down!" Eric ordered, taking cover behind another parked car as he and Horatio, behind a car two spaces from Eric, shot towards the direction of the gunfire. After about five minutes, the three of them heard the screeching of tyres and smelt smoke, indicating their hidden assailant had escaped. "Are you alright?" He asked, tuning to Horatio. He nodded, re-holstering his gun. The two men looked around the parking garage, Eric's heart in his throat as he saw red on the ground and a rather still Natalia laying on her left side, covered slightly by a tyre of an SUV. "NATALIA!"


	10. Chapter 10

Eric was the first to regain his composure after the bullets stopped flying and when he did; that's when he felt his heart in his throat. Through the fog he could hear Horatio calling for backup and almost on cue, it arrived in the form of two squad cars and an Ambulance. He dropped to his knees, ignoring the stinging in his knees as the bitumen scratched at his skin through his pants. With a soft hand, he tapped Natalia on her cheek as she moaned softly, her eyes opening slowly. As she looked back at him, Natalia closed her eyes and moaned, a hand resting immediately on her forehead. Her head, from her forehead to behind her left eye, was cross between stabbing and throbbing from where she hit the ground and the combined sensations was making her head spin. If it kept up much longer, her dinner would be making a repeat appearance. As Eric looked around, he sighed in relief as he saw Ryan's SUV and Calleigh's crossfire re-appear in their designated parking spots. A paramedic, Miki, made her way to the group before either of the other two arrived.

"Natalia?" She asked, reaching into the kit and retrieving a gauze patch to hold against a weeping wound atop her head. Natalia hissed as it was placed atop it but moved her hand over Miki's gloved one to hold it there. "Can you tell me what happened?" She asked, fishing in the kit with one hand for something.

"There were shots fired at us and I ducked but..." Natalia's cheeks coloured as she admitted this. "I must've been pulled down too hard and I hit my head."

Miki nodded, retrieving her penlight. "Follow this light with your eyes," She moved the torch to the left. "Did you lose consciousness?" She asked, moving the torch to the right this time.

"Yeah." Eric answered for her, noticing a sudden colour change to his girlfriends complexion. "She must've hit her head pretty hard..." Natalia bit down on her lip, eyes closing again as the nausea made itself noticeable again. _I surely didn't hit my head that hard... what the hell is going on with me?_

"Just to be safe I would like to take her straight to Dade-Memorial and do a few tests to rule out anything major." She gathered the kit up as the second paramedic, James, arrived to the group with the gurney. "Are you able to walk, do you think?" She asked, placing the kit behind the head of the stretcher.

"I might need some help..." Natalia admitted, feeling as ashamed of herself as she did the day the ambulance was called on her for Nick's attack. As she stood, with help from Eric and Miki, her legs felt like lead as the world began to spin. Her hand went to her mouth, trying everything in her power to stop herself from vomiting. She already felt bad enough, but this was just adding to the pile. James arranged the gurney so it was next to her, allowing her to get on her toes and sit herself in the middle of it so her legs could easily swing over onto it. Covering her with the belts, she was clicked in and as the gurney was raised, she gasped, "I think I'm gonna be sick." Almost before Miki could place the emesis bag under her chin, she heaved as Eric's hand rested on her back. She heaved three more times, stopping after about two minutes. She closed her eyes and moaned, leaning against Eric's shoulder. James and Miki shared a look as James began to move the gurney towards the van.

"Where is she going?" Calleigh called from behind the car Natalia was laying next to.

"Dade-Memorial. I'm riding with her." Eric announced, his tone leaving no room for argument. As the doors closed with Natalia and Eric in the back of the van, Calleigh raised an eyebrow to herself and shrugged, bagging a shard of glass. She and Ryan worked in silence, Horatio giving his statement to one of the Officers by the elevator. Calleigh was the first to notice the envelope on the ground by Natalia's car, rising to her feet and maneuvering around the glass; thankful that she had changed into her sneakers before she got the callout. With a gloved hand, she reached for it and rose again, holding the envelope with almost shaking hands.

"Hey, Cal..." Ryan called, approaching her with photos in his gloved hands. "Think I've found motive. And a lot of it." Spreading the photos on the hood of a nearby parked car, Calleigh's jaw hit the floor at the photos.

"Oh, my..." She almost whispered when she came across the photo of Eric and Natalia kissing. "This explains a lot..." She looked to Ryan, who shared the same look as her.

"How did we not see this?" He asked, his eyes still stuck on the same photo. He drew them away briefly, stopping when he saw a photo of Natalia's beaten face. Her right eye was swollen to the point where it couldn't open, she had a long gash on her forehead and her bottom lip was split open. An evidence ruler was against her cheek being held up by a gloved hand. "What the hell..."

"There's more..." Calleigh grabbed three photos from the spread, ones of Natalia's bruised wrists and one of her broken left arm. "Oh my god..."

"CSI Duquesne, CSI Wolfe!" An officer called. Calleigh was the first to look in his direction. "You will want to see this." Swallowing deeply, Calleigh grabbed her camera and walked over to where Eric's car was parked. The message of 'you can't get away that easily' being held between his hands.

"Who the hell..." Calleigh was shocked to her core. Someone was coming after a very close friend of hers, and it was someone that she thought would stop at nothing until they had finally done what they needed to do.

CSIMIAMICSIMIAMICSIMIAMI

Natalia sat in the dimmed cubicle of the ER, her eyes closed softly as she dozed. Eric was seated opposite her, leaning forward with his head in his hands. He knew from Natalia's description how serious her last visit to the ER was at the hands of Nick, and something in him was hoping that she would not have to visit this dreaded place again until it was a more happier occasion. With another sigh, he reached into his pocket and clasped the spare key for his house in his hand suddenly sweaty hand. He felt something different about Natalia; something that he knew he could not get enough of. And, if he had anything to say about it the next item he was holding in his sweaty palm in his pocket would be 'that' box.

Eric was so absorbed in his thought that he didn't notice the nurse outside the curtained off cubicle snap a picture of Natalia's dozing form and type the message _Plan B?_ into her phone.


	11. Chapter 11

_OK. Here it is. The test. That damn test and the aftermath. Broken up in a few parts._

 _Also, I wanted a moment between and Alexx and Natalia because there wasn't much of that in the show in season 4 so I made this moment between them. Don't shoot me if its not perfect I'm trying to jump the hurdle of writers block as best I can. Also, I have heard Khandi can sign and I know that Eva can sing so just picture their voices in the part of this chapter._

 _Note: That section draws from my personal experience. I was having a massive anxiety attack on my lounge and my friend just held me and we sang together until it calmed down. It's amazing what the power of song can do to a person._

Natalia stirred from her daze about twenty minutes later, awoken by Eric's phone ringing. Her eyes opened slightly, looking at his back to her with a soft smile on her face. When he hung up, her smile remained as he returned it and sat next to her legs; one hand resting on her leg and the other taking her right hand in his and giving it a soft squeeze.

"How are you feeling?" He asked, his thumb absently running down her thigh through the thin sheet covering her. Natalia sighed heavily, the pounding in her head now just a dull throb.

"It's tolerable…" She sighed, her free hand resting on her forehead. Eric's hand followed suit, his fingers weaving through her hair as he leaned in close to her; their foreheads touching. She closed her eyes, a soft sigh escaping her lips. "Thankyou for being here." She whispered. Eric's lips gently touched hers, the sensation so soothing another sigh escaped her as the kiss deepened. Her hand raised at its own accord, coming to rest behind Eric's head as she pulled him closer to her. Remembering where they were, Eric broke the kiss but didn't move away until he had placed another, much softer, kiss to her lips.

"Where else would I be?" He asked, taking hold of her hand again and taking a seat again next to her legs. The curtain was pulled back, both jumping a little. When it was pulled back, both heaved a sigh of relief.

"Are you both OK?" Alexx was the only one who was unable to make it to the scene, but she had told the rest of the team that she would check up with them on the hospital. She hugged Eric, but not Natalia. She graced her with a small smile. While Alexx was quite fond of the new team member, there was something about her that she couldn't quite put her finger on.

"I'm fine," Eric reassured, looking to Natalia. "But someone took a nasty bump to the head." Eric's phone buzzed, pulling his attention away. "Scuse me, ladies." He exited the cubicle, leaving Alexx to sit in Eric's place next to Natalia.

"Did they um…" Natalia's voice was surprisingly soft, her heart in her throat as she tried to open up to the older woman that the rest of the team saw as their mother figure. "Did the others tell you about what was at the scene?" She asked. She figured there was no point in trying to beat around the bush; was better to just rip the band aid off. Alexx raised an eyebrow at the question. While she had received a brief rundown, she had not been told much more other than that Natalia had been hospitalised.

"No, they didn't…." She moved the chair closer. "Did something happen that I should know about?" she asked, taking another look at the younger woman. She had only seen bits and pieces of her in the DNA lab when she had to venture up to the lab, and she knew that she was responsible for her shiny new Autopsy theatre. Outside of that, she knew close to nothing about Natalia Boa Vista. But that was all about to change.

"At the scene they found…" Natalia tried to find her words, but she began to feel her heart in her throat, her hands go numb and pins and needles creep up into her cheeks. She knew this feeling; an anxiety attack was on the way. Her eyes grew wide, a hand resting on her chest as she felt her heart try and fight its way out of her chest. Stunned, Alexx jumped from the seat and was at her side immediately, holding Natalia in her arms and resting a hand on her hair. She could feel the woman trembling violently beneath her and, doing the only thing she knew how to, she became to smooth down her hair with her hand, rock her slowly and hum 'Halleluiah' by Leonard Cohen to her.

"I need you to listen to the words I sing, honey." Alexx's voice changed from work tone to motherly, her cheek resting on her head. ' _Well I heard there was a secret cord, that David played, and it pleased the Lord. But you don't really care for music, do ya?'_

The words penetrated the fog circling Natalia's mind, and, with a shaky breath, she found herself singing along as well. ' _Well it goes like this, the fourth, the fifth. The minor fall, the major lift. The baffled king composing Halleluiah.'_

Alexx looked down at Natalia, a soft smile gracing her features as she felt the trembling lessen. _'Halleluiah… Halleluiah…Halleluiah…Halleluiah._ Keep going, honey."

 _'_ _Your faith was strong, but you needed proof. You saw her bathing on the roof. The beauty and the moonlight over threw you…´_ Natalia's voice started to break. She was the last person who deserved this level of kindness from people she was meant to be spying on.

 _'_ _She tied you to her kitchen chair, she broke your throne and she cut your hair. And from your lips she drew the Halleluiah.'_ Alexx continued to sing softly, noticing Eric return to the curtained area with a young woman who he guessed was Natalia's Doctor. She held up a hand, keeping them away from Natalia for the time being. The sight was something that moved Eric to his core. He knew there was a lot going on in Natalia's mind, but he didn't realise that she was this close to a breakdown. But she had had her life threatened twice in one day.

 _'_ _Halleluiah… Halleluiah…Halleluiah…Halleluiah._ ' Natalia finished the song in almost a whisper, tears still standing in her eyes but her trembling lessening significantly. She looked at Alexx, her eyes slightly unfocused. "How did you know that would-"

"It works every time, honey. Trust me." With a hug, she moved to allow Eric to take the seat once again. Almost immediately, Natalia threw her arms around Eric and held him close to her, the tears finally escaping as he held her and rocked her in a similar fashion that Alexx had just done. She moved closer to Doctor Ashlee Cooper, leaning in close and whispering,

"Is there any chance you can come back? I don't think she can handle much more now." Ashlee nodded, handing some papers to the ME. She knew Alexx and her work, so she knew they were in good hands.

"I was just bringing in her release papers and needing to inform her of a follow up appointment she needs to make with me." She said simply as her pager sounded. "Shoot. When they're signed just drop them at the desk. Tell her to keep in touch!" She was gone again before Alexx could wrap her head around what had just happened with Natalia and the scene in front of her. She took a seat on the other side of Natalia, keeping her hands in her lap as she watched Eric do a much better job at calming her sobs. She looked at Eric, gesturing to him the question 'Do you want me to go?' Eric shook his head at the question.

"Nat…" He tilted her chin up so he was looking into her eyes. "Do you want me to tell Alexx what happened?" She nodded wordlessly, taking hold of Eric's hand again. Eric turned back to Alexx, his attention still partly on Natalia. "We were shot at and when we down Natalia hit her head quite hard. But before that happened, her car was vandalised and there were some… documents there from her past."

Alexx leaned forward in her seat, genuinely concerned about what it could have been to shake Natalia this much to her core. "What was in them?" She asked.

Eric sighed before he spoke again. "Copies of a hospital report from a while ago and… this." Getting out his phone, he clicked on a photo and handed his phone to her. Taking it, Alexx raised an eyebrow at the photo of the two of them in the kiss. "Yeah." He said simply when he saw the look on her face.

"How long has… this been going on?" She asked, gesturing to the phone as she still looked at it.

"Almost two months." Natalia answered this time, her voice rough from crying. "And someone, most likely someone with ties to my ex-husband, doesn't like it and wants me to suffer."

"Oh." The blunt delivery of the words made Alexx even more concerned for Natalia's well-being. "I think your Doctor was happy with you going home but she wants you to make a follow up appointment with her once your home." She handed Natalia the release papers as well as the clipboard they were attached to. Natalia signed them without hesitation, moving to throw the covers back on the bed.

"Well, let's get me out of here then!"

CSIMIAMICSIMIAMICSIMIAMI

Six weeks had passed after the incident in the parking lot and, due to the cameras being down and the casings not having any matches in IBIS, the case had seemed to hit a dead end. Not that Natalia minded, not even in the slightest. Over the past four weeks, she had been feeling down-right miserable. She was tired, no matter how much sleep she got, she was getting aches in her chest and her hormones were all over the place. To top it off, she was certain she had eaten something that didn't agree with her because she had been vomiting on and off the entire time. Thinking it was a bug, she had pushed it to the back of her mind as she exited the lady's room of the lab, her stomach still doing flips over itself even though there was nothing left in there. Thankful DNA was empty upon her return, she shrugged on her lab coat and sat down at the computer, her head suddenly spinning and the nausea returning almost immediately. _She had a doctor's appointment with Doctor Cooper in a few days. Would she have to push it forward?_ The door opened, her thoughts interrupted. Thank god, it was Calleigh. She didn't feel like seeing any of the guys now, except Eric.

"Hey, there you are." Her words were gentle, her tone happy. "I was lookin' all over for you." Her accent shined in through her words in concern.

"Oh," _Just think of something!_ "I was in the ladies." _Well it technically isn't a lie._ Calleigh took a little longer to look at her friend but noticing her glassy eyes she got straight to business.

"I uh, need a favour. Delko just dropped some blood off with Valera…" She didn't even need to finish the sentence before Natalia clicked on to what was happening.

"Oh, the trashcan from the beach? Yeah." The last thing she felt like doing was work but the less suspicion she raised about herself the better. "Do you want me to compare it to my unsolveds?" She asked.

Calleigh's tone of voice remained friendly. "I'm thinking it might help narrow down the victims ID." Now that the work talk was out of the way, she wanted to get to the bottom of what was going on.

"Consider it done." Natalia's voice started to falter as she felt her stomach churn again. Calleigh walked over to her.

"Are you ok?" She asked, her concern changing from polite to genuine. It wasn't often that Natalia wasn't at her best so there must have been something seriously bugging her for her to be feeling this lousy. Especially considering she had not long got over a nasty flu bug that had made its way around the Lab. She and Calleigh had been the last two to get it, with Calleigh only shaking it about two days ago. She still had a blocked nose, but it was tolerable.

"Just a touch of the flu." Natalia wanted to cease this conversation, but Calleigh had other ideas.

"Didn't you just have the flu?" She asked, the ever-curious CSI in her coming out to play in all of her glory.

"Yeah, my luck, right?" Natalia's delivery was deadpan, but what worried Calleigh the most was the colour, or lack of it, gracing her friends features.

"Are you sure you're alright, because you're really pale." Natalia had dark bags under her eyes, like she hadn't been sleeping well recently. Which, Calleigh guessed, could have been from the incident in the parking lot.

"Yeah?" _Shit. I didn't even think of that._ "Well, it's worse in the mornings." She realised what she had said after she had already said it, and she almost hit herself in the head. _Could I be? No…_

"Well, if it's worth anything, chicken soup always works for me. When I have the flu." Calleigh offered, a smile gracing her face. Natalia returned it, laughing softly at her concern.

"Chicken soup… ok. Thanks." She gestured to the envelopes. "I'll get right on this." She reassured, gesturing to the envelopes.

"Great. Thanks." Calleigh smiled again before exiting the lab. As soon as she was out of her line of sight, she dropped the envelope and grabbed her phone; speed dialling an all-too-familiar number.

 _"_ _Hey, what's up? This is Eric. Leave me a message."_ Before she could curse at herself for realising that she had interrupted his day off, she remembered why she was calling him.

"Hey Eric, it's Natalia," Her voice squeaked a little, her nerves getting the better of her. "I'm just calling… to say hi. And uh, call me back." She hung up, closing her phone and keeping it pressed against her palm in thought. _Could she be… No. She had taken a test three weeks ago and it was negative. But why had she not got her period yet?_


	12. Chapter 12

After 20 minutes of not getting any work done, Natalia decided to take a bit of a walk to get some fresh air. As she walked past AV, she felt her stomach do another flip and she had to stop just shy of the door, her hand covering her mouth. Thankful it was quiet, she opened the door and was surprised to see Cooper seated behind the computer.

"Hey Cooper, I thought today was your day off." She interrogated, an eyebrow raised as she kept a hand on her stomach.

"Helping Delko with a case." He announced, gesturing to the computer screen.

"Oh," Her hopes went up sky-high. "Have you seen him?"

"He got a call and took off. Probably one of the chicks from the volleyball tournament." He said with a smile on his face.

Natalia did not return the smile. "What?" She was trying her hardest not to snap.

"Yeah, we were at the championships this morning, beach volleyball. Wall, to wall, thong." Cooper exclaimed gleefully.

"Really." Natalia felt as if she had been stabbed in the back with a flaming machete. They had both made the decision to not tell those who weren't meant to know at work about the relationship, but something in her was saying that Eric was having a bit too much fun keeping his cover.

"Yeah, Delko knew every girl there. I am talking Playa! I should definitely hang out with him more. Take some of his rejects." Cooper concluded almost wistfully, the smile not leaving his face. With an irritated scoff, Natalia turned on her heel and walked away, hearing him yell to her, "Hey, Boa-Vista, I'll let him know you were looking for him." Of all the employees at CSI, the Lab Techs from Days were the only ones who didn't know about Natalia and Eric's relationship and it seemed, in Natalia's mind, that Eric had forgotten who his girlfriend was. As she walked back towards DNA, she found Eric walking towards her with a smile on his face and opened arms. He did not see the irritated scowl on his girlfriend's face, and he did not notice the anger in her eyes.

"Hey, Natalia, I just got your message." He smiled, his arms going to his side. She walked right past him, uttering an irritated

"Sure, you did." Before she walked instead to the locker room. Eric did a double-take at Natalia's actions. Something had happened to piss her off, but what was it? He headed to the only lab with someone in it.

"What's with Boa Vista?" He asked, trying to not say her full name. He hadn't told her what he was doing on his morning off, but he had been doing a touch of shopping after the volleyball game fiasco.

"You got me." Cooper was just as confused at Natalia's interaction with him.

"She was just in here. Did you say anything to her?" He tried again. He had a feeling that the reason behind her anger was to do with the conversation she had just had with Cooper and he needed to get to the bottom of it before he tried any damage control.

"No…." Cooper said, immediately remembering what they were talking about and he bit his lip.

"What?" That was not unnoticed by Delko.

"We were talking about the tournament, about all the hot chicks, and how you had all their phone numbers…." He explained. Dan saw a flash of anger on Delko's face. No matter Natalia was pissed at him.

"You've got a big mouth." He said simply, fighting every urge to punch him in the face.

"What did I do?" Cooper asked, throwing a hand in the air in genuine confusion.

"You opened it!" Delko admitted, crossing his fingers that he would be able to try and calm Natalia down sooner rather than later.

A lightbulb went off in Cooper's head. "Oh, you and Boa-Vista are…" _Now I get why she was so pissed. He's tapping her._

"Are none of your business." Eric concluded, getting his phone out and dialling a number. Cooper felt like a world class idiot.

"Dude, I didn't know. I'm sorry." He genuinely felt bad, and he wanted to do something to make up for it.

"You better be." Eric walked away, listening as he heard Natalia's phone ring out. With a sigh, he pocketed his phone and went back to fingerprints, hoping work would distract him.


	13. Chapter 13

Eric kept his eyes out for Natalia for the rest of the day and he at first had no luck but, just before 11.30 that morning, he spotted her heading towards the elevator with her handbag. Horatio had said that she was off to the doctors for her follow up appointment and she wouldn't be coming back to work after, so he knew that this was his chance. He chased after her, grabbing her hand to stop her.

"Hey, I've been looking for you." He tried to explain. Natalia ripped her hand away as if it were on fire, still royally pissed.

"Yeah, I've been busy." _It hadn't been a total lie. Sure, she had spent a good majority of the morning with her head in a bucket but that counted as being busy_.

Eric sighed, his rehearsed speech right out the window. "Look, here me out, OK?" He almost begged.

"You have until the elevator gets here." She said simply, reaching past him and pressing 'down' four times.

"Dan Cooper has a big mouth…" He began, but Natalia cut him off.

"Yeah." She knew that part. "But is he a liar?"

"He just talks too much." He answered, realising only after he said it that he hadn't answered the question.

"But pretty pointedly though, I would say." She wanted to shout at him, but she remembered where she was and lowered her voice. "Beach volleyball with half naked girls _writhing_ in the sand. And those are just the fans."

Eric didn't get why she was annoyed at the moment. He was allowed to appreciate another woman and hang out with her as a friend, wasn't he? "Look Natalia, you and I… we are keeping it out of work. I mean we said that, didn't we?" He asked, trying to reason with her. They _had_ agreed to hide the relationship from the lab team and that's what he was trying to do for Coopers sake.

Her gaze softened, as did her tone. "We did… I think I said it first, actually."

"So then why all the drama?" He asked, determined to get to the bottom of it. _Maybe it was a time of month for her. No… that was meant to be a few weeks ago._

"Eric…" She began, but the elevator interrupted her. "Forget it." She went to move past him and step in the elevator, but he got in with her.

"No, I don't want to forget it. You were going to tell me something. What?" He was getting frustrated; not with her, but with the whole argument they were having.

"There are just complications, OK?!" Her whisper was sharp and exasperated. She could feel her head start to spin and her stomach flip again.

"Complications like what?" Eric was past the point of playing games. He wanted to know what the hell was going on.

"Like I'm late." She tried to explain, folding her arms across her chest.

"For what?" He asked with a scoff.

 _He has three sisters; how can he not know what I mean? "_ I'm _late_." She emphasised with a sigh as the doors began to close.

 _Shit. Shit shit shit._ "Oh my God." His words were simple and were delivered as the doors closed. As soon as they did, he pressed the Emergency button and halted the descent. In the dimmed elevator, he put his hand on hers. "Talk to me."

"What do you want me to say?" Natalia asked, keeping hold of Eric's hand.

"You can't drop some news on me like that and then run. Are you sure about this?" He said, taking the time to really appreciate his girlfriend in the lighting. Either his eyes were playing tricks on him or her chest looked like it had increased in size. Which was strange, because she had seemed to not gain weight anywhere else.

"Well," She sighed, tugging her bag closer to her. She had always wanted a family of her own, and it was something that had come up in talks with Eric recently. But she though it would be happening later in their relationship. Not now. "Those home tests don't really work on me and Doctor Cooper can't see me until this afternoon." She tried to explain, her words coming out of her a million miles an hour.

"Right, and then after you see him…" Eric offered, his own head spinning at the possibility of becoming a father. _Well, mami would be happy._

 _"_ Her." Natalia corrected.

"Her." Eric re-iterated. "Then… then what do we do?" He asked, his heart in his throat. Hearing the words, Natalia smiled to herself and looked down, giggling softly. "What?"

"It's nothing." She almost whispered, laughing it off.

"It's _something_ , What?" Eric asked. He never thought he could love this woman anymore than he did right now. Even if the test came back negative, or positive, he knew his feelings for Natalia were genuine.

"It's just nice that…" She had no idea where to take this conversation. "You said 'we'."

"It takes two to tango," Eric reminded her, pulling her close to him and kissing her softly. "Can I go with you?" He asked. "I can tell H later…"

"What about the case?" She asked, still pressing herself up against him. As much as she wanted him with her, she also wanted to be alone.

"He won't mind… Please." He wasn't one to beg, but this was different circumstances. Natalia sighed and nodded, pressing the power button on the elevator again.

"Ok."


	14. Chapter 14

The drive from the lab to Doctor Cooper's office was silent; save for the soft music coming from the radio. Eric was driving, Natalia not trusting herself in her current emotional state to control a County Vehicle. Every fiber of her being was telling her that, if she was in fact pregnant, it would not be a good idea to keep the baby. However, Eric was having the opposite thought. Neither himself or his family believed in abortion, and he would be doing everything in his power to support Natalia throughout everything; even if that meant giving her the gift, he had planned on giving her on her birthday just a little sooner. Turning into the parking lot of the Doctor's, he cut the ignition and looked over to Natalia. Her eyes seemed distant, her chin resting on her hand as she stared at something in front of her. A hand on her thigh made her jump, Eric cursing to himself as he realized just how jumpy he was.

"Sorry," Natalia sighed, gathering her bag. Eric put a hand on top of hers, causing her to look at him. It was then that he saw it; the fear in her eyes.

"Hey…" He gave her hand a squeeze and a soft smile, with her returning the same smile with watery eyes. "Whatever happens in here, you know you will have my support, right?" He reminded, reaching for her other hand without breaking the look. Natalia sighed heavily and looked away, ashamed at the tears gathering in her eyes. There was nothing she wanted in the world more than to be able to start a family, but she was terrified of the whole idea. What if she and Eric broke up? What if Eric turned out to be like Nick down the track? What if, she was indeed pregnant, something went wrong with either herself or the baby?

"There's just a lot going on in my head right now, Eric…" She whispered, not trusting herself to talk any louder from fear of his reaction. "A lot of what ifs, y'know?" She suddenly felt glad at realizing that she did not have to return to the lab after this. That was another thing… _What would Monica say when she found out? She had a nice habit of finding everything out._

"Whatever happens," Eric gave her hand another squeeze and kissed her knuckles. "I will be there to help you in any way I can." He got out of the car, crossing to the other side to open Natalia's door. He smiled at her, taking her hand as she got out of the car. Locking the doors and pocketing the keys, he kept his hand on Natalia's lower back as they crossed the pedestrian crossing and entered the rather posh looking Doctor's Office. Eric had to chomp on his tongue to suppress a whistle at the interior. The waiting room was white with dark blue arm chairs placed around it, various art pieces hanging up on the walls. To him, it seemed more like a Lawyer's office as opposed to a Doctor's Office. The young woman behind the counter, that Eric guessed could be no older than 25 with long blonde hair, greeted them with a smile as she pressed a button on the side of her headset.

"Hi, do you have an appointment?" Her greeting was warm, the same as her smile. Natalia cleared her throat, Eric taking her hand behind the counter.

"Yes, I'm Natalia Boa Vista I have an appointment with Doctor Cooper this afternoon at 3pm?" She explained, spying a look at her watch. It was already 2.50, and she was hoping that Ashlee was running on time. She wanted this appointment over and done with, but something was telling her that the two of them would be here for a while.

The receptionist, whose nametag read Kirby, handed Natalia a clipboard with papers and a pen attached. "Since you are a new patient, we will need you to fill these out." She smiled again, gesturing to the extremely comfortable looking chairs. "When you're done just bring them back up here." She nodded with a smile, turning her attention to the couple behind Eric and Natalia as the two took a seat just under the large TV screen. With a sigh, Natalia lifted her left leg so she had something to lean on. She filled out the necessary documentation, stopping momentarily as she reached the Emergency Contact section. Tapping the pen against the clipboard, she started to debate who to actually _put_ as the emergency contact. Typically, she would put Christine or Anya, but she figured with something like this, that would have to change. With a small smile, she wrote Eric's name and details on the page, signing the bottom before placing the clipboard back on the desk. Kirby reached for it and nodded, smiling and mouthing 'thankyou' as she typed something on the computer. Sitting back in the chair with a sigh, Natalia clasped her hands together in her lap and looked around the room. Doctor Cooper had come highly recommended from Anya, saying that she was the best in the area. And since she had been seeing her since her first major Hospital admittance from Nick, she had to agree with her on that statement. From an exam room, a young woman emerged carrying a capsule with a tiny baby inside. She struggled with shrugging her bag over her shoulder as she tried to calm the crying infant inside. Sensing her struggle, Natalia was quick to be on her feet.

"Here," She held her hand out to take the capsule to allow the young woman to fix her bag. As she waited, she spied a look at the tiny baby inside the capsule. He was maybe a month old, Natalia guessed, and she swore she could see jet black hair sticking out from under the small hat on his head.

"Thank you," The young woman took the capsule again, flashing a tired smile to Natalia. "Someone wasn't too happy with his shots."

Natalia smiled a little. "No, I can't say I blame him… He is beautiful." She confessed, looking into the capsule again. The mother smiled, swaying the capsule side to side softly to calm the baby's cries.

"Thank you, he certainly is the love of my life," She offered her hand to Natalia. "I'm Jasmine." Natalia accepted the handshake, noticing the small bruises on the young woman's arms.

"Natalia," She fished in her pocket and retrieved one of her cards. "I know this sounds weird but I would love to meet up with you for a coffee. Give me a call?" She asked, almost pressing the card into Jasmine's hand. She knew the shape of those bruises; because she remembered having them herself on her arms from Nick's hands.

"Uh, yeah…." Jasmine's smile faltered as the baby's cries increased. "I need to get him home," She began to walk away. "It was nice to meet you!" As the doors to the clinic closed, Natalia found her head spinning once again. As she sat down, Eric looked over at her.

"Everything ok?" He asked. He knew the look in Natalia's eyes; she had seen something that was dangerously close to triggering a flashback. He took her hand, squeezing it and looking at her. "Natalia," Her eyes began to refocus. "What is it?"

"That girl…" Her eyes were starting to water. "Her arms looked just like mine… she's being beaten." A voice from an opened door caught her attention.

"Natalia Boa Vista?" It was Ashlee; just what she needed. Gathering their things, both she and Eric stood, Eric taking her hand.

"What can we do?" He asked as they entered the office. He held the door open for Natalia, closing it behind him as he walked in and Natalia took a seat next to the doctor's desk.

"Nothing, for now. Later." She turned her attention to the monitor next to the small bed in the room. From what she could tell, it was an ultrasound machine. Ashlee sat behind her desk, turning her chair towards the couple.

"Ok." She clicked something on her computer and then turned the screen to face both Eric and Natalia. "You know how to read blood tests results, yeah?" She asked, grabbing a pen and gesturing towards a specific line. "Your HCG levels are at 42,500. Which, according to us, tells me that you are indeed, six weeks and two days pregnant." She announced with a smile. "Congratulations to you both."

Natalia sat back in her chair, a hand running through her hair as she processed the news. She looked to Eric, surprised to see a smile forming on his face. "Are you ok?" She asked, reaching for his hand. Eric grabbed it, giving it a squeeze before leaning over and taking her in his arms, holding her close to him and kissing her softly. She returned the kiss, more than shocked to taste tears on her lips.

"I've never been happier." He admitted, kissing her again and leaning back, wiping his eyes. "What do we do from here?" He turned to Ashlee, a watery smile on his face.

Ashlee handed him a tissue. "Now, we do a quick ultrasound to make sure mom and baby are doing ok and then we go from there." She stood, clapping her hands together. "Ok," She turned to Natalia. "I will need you to lay up here on the bed and lift your shirt up just a bit, stopping at the underwire of your bra." While she had her back turned, Natalia did what she needed to. As she got settled on the bed, she found herself unable to believe what she had been told. She, Natalia Boa Vista, was going to be a mom. She was going to have a baby that was going to be half her, and half Eric. "This will most likely be a bit cold." Ashlee warned, applying a blob of Ultrasound Gel on Natalia's belly and placing an ultrasound wand atop it. The cool sensation caused her to jump, reaching for Eric's hand. She had found herself, more often than not lately, reaching for Eric as her safety net. It was something that he certainly did not mind; he in fact loved that she was going to him. He took her hand in his and squeezed it, his eyes trained on the small screen to the right of him. His other hand rested atop Natalia's head, his fingers finding the ends of her hair and tangling themselves up in them. Ashlee moved the wand a little, stopping and smiling. There, in front of them, was a small white blob on the screen that, to Eric, reminded him of ET.

"There most certainly is a baby in there," Ashlee clicked on something on the screen, highlighting the blob. "The size of the fetus looks good, and now…" She grabbed a doppler, resting the device on Natalia's belly. There were a few seconds of silence before the steady _woom woom woom woom woom woom woom woom woom woom woom_ filled the small room. Natalia turned to Eric, a watery smile on her face. "That's a good, strong sounding heartbeat." She removed the doppler but kept the wand. "Ok," She clicked a few more things. "I've got the pictures I need," She removed the wand, handing Natalia a cloth. "I just need to get the printouts of these and get something for you and then we are done." Ashlee stood, taking off her gloves. "I'll be right back." She left the room, leaving Eric and Natalia both staring at the image still on the monitor.

"Holy shit…" Eric looked at Natalia with a smile, kissing her softly. "Imagine what mami will say." He winked. Natalia returned the smile, but the reality of the situation suddenly hit her like a tonne of bricks. She had no idea about pregnancy, birth or raising children!

"Eric…" She sighed, looking away suddenly. "I'm terrified." She confessed, biting her lip as she felt her tears threaten to escape again. Wordlessly, Eric was behind her and holding her close to him, his hands clasping together on her abdomen. There was a miracle happening inside of his girlfriend, one that he was more than happy to take credit for helping create. He understood Natalia's fears, hell, he had the same ones. But that meant that the two of them would be able to conquer them together.

CSIMIAMICSIMIAMICSIMIAMI

Driving back towards Natalia's, Eric couldn't help but keep looking at her. She held a copy of the ultrasound photo in her hand, her purple pregnancy healthbook resting on the centre console. On the backseat sat a copy of 'What to expect when you're expecting' which he knew the two of them would be using as their bible for the next seven and a half months. Counting back in his head, he grinned to himself as he realized when the baby must have been conceived; the night of their close call in the parking lot.

"Can we make a pitstop?" Natalia asked suddenly, looking up from the photo and to Eric with a smile on her face. "I kind of feel like a big packet of popcorn with butter. And maybe a bit of icing sugar?" She asked, flashing Eric a million-watt-smile. A lot of the fear had almost disappeared and she figured, after her popcorn fix, she would feel a little bit calmer. Pulling up to a bodega, Eric smile and nodded.

"Do you want me to get it?" He asked with a smile. Natalia grinned and shook her head, already opening the car door.

"I got it, you just wait here baby daddy." She said with a wink, closing her door and crossing the road quickly. Opening the door, she smiled to the attendant and quickly found what she was looking for. Reaching for the bag and turning towards the counter, she felt her heart rise in her throat. Standing just outside the store, staring at her, was Nick. She was certain of it. Forgoing the icing sugar, she paid for her purchase and walked out, trying her best to ignore the burning stare she could feel on her back. Turning her head, she was more than shocked to see the Nick figure gone. _Was it really him?_ She did not want to stick around where she was vulnerable any longer. Running as fast as her legs could carry her, she ripped the passenger door open and almost slammed it behind her, feeling marginally better as she looked at Eric.

"Are you OK?" He asked, genuinely concerned for her wellbeing. Her eyes were glassy and unfocused and the tip of her nose was red; something in that store had scared her. And had done so badly. But Natalia shook her head. This was the last thing that Eric needed to be worrying about. Especially now that she had someone else to worry about.

"Yeah," She reassured almost too quickly. She looked at Eric and cleared her throat. "Yeah, I'm fine. Just… thought I saw something." She reassured, buckling her seatbelt. "Let's go." With a shrug, Eric flicked the indicator on and turned back into his lane, his eyes staying on the road but his mind stuck on Natalia.


End file.
